Opinion: Tamatha Paul Leads Panel on Rethinking New Zealand’s Justice System

Guy van Egmond (he/him)

In the nave of St Peter’s on Willis last Monday, a crowd of people converged to hear Tamatha Paul and a panel of speakers speak against Aotearoa’s counterproductive justice system. There was a clandestine air before the event began, with vague flyers—“Join the Movement”—laid out on every seat. But as the space steadily filled with students, middle-aged locals and elderly alike, and MC Geordie Rogers asked us all to “squish up” on the pews, this air became one of shared purpose. The event, though limited by its tight one-hour slot, offered a range of perspectives that spoke to the need for a systemic sea change from a basis of compassion. 

Paul opened with a reflection on her home town of Tokoroa, describing it as “a coin-flip town,” where the trajectory of someone’s life into poverty or crime is often out of their control. She challenged our revenge-based justice system that perpetuates this—focusing on longer prison sentences and fearmongering to win votes—even as court judges issue increasingly lighter sentences in response to unchecked rates of reoffence. She argued for a shift instead towards redistributive justice, where the pathways into crime are tackled with care and support. 

Awatea Mita, from the Auckland Women’s Centre, seconded this vision, responding specifically to stalking offences. She described prisons as environments that reinforce psychological harm rather than heal it, while spaces where incarcerated people can seek help are underfunded. Mita also spoke to the colonial influence on whānau relationships that leads to disproportionate targeting of wahine Māori and Pasifika women, rooting these crimes beyond the justice system. 

VUW’s Dr. Luke Oldfield then offered an efficient and incisive overview of penal populism. He touched on populism’s origins as a left-wing people’s movement and how it has since twisted to favour select, outspoken groups. Oldfield presented immediate reforms, including the redesign of biased public opinion surveys, while reiterating the need for a systemic overhaul. 

Reihana Ali, stepping in for Abdur Razzaq, spoke on behalf of the Federation of Islamic Associations NZ. She focused on addressing the root causes of crime, particularly the breeding grounds of hate that leads to violence like the Christchurch mosque attacks. Ali argued that our justice system should be not an outdated British model or one that seeks to profit off adversarialism, but community-led and based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

The final speaker, Emily Groen from the Wellington Community Justice Project, offered a vision for justice that moved away from dehumanizing language and argued that Aotearoa’s reoffence rates—currently above the OECD average—should be a key measure of success. Groen also called for a Te Tiriti-based system, working with hapū to establish support and rehabilitation. Groen echoed her precursors by concluding that we should focus not on revenge, but empathy. 

Though it ran overtime, the event flew by. The speeches were largely conceptual and looking from the outside in. Nonetheless, they served well as a reminder of the kind of justice system we could build—one built around prevention by compassion. As attendees filtered out to Te Tai Ohinga next door for further discussion, It was nice to hear an older man summarize the night: “I don’t usually come out to these kinds of things, but that was really good. And what a great turnout.”