GENEVA (2 October 2025) – New Zealand must take action
to reduce its rising prison population and better take
advantage of its independent monitoring mechanism by
adequately funding it and implementing its recommendations,
experts from the UN
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) said after
their second visit to the country.
“Prison
population forecasts in New Zealand over the next ten years
paint a concerning picture. At present, forward planning
appears to focus primarily on building new prison facilities
rather than expanding the use of alternatives to
detention,” said Aisha Shujune Muhammad, head of the SPT
delegation.
“We are particularly concerned about the
potential impact on Māori and Pasifika communities, who are
already disproportionately represented in the prison
population,” she added.
During the mission to New
Zealand from 13 to 25 September, the SPT delegation carried
out unannounced visits to a range of facilities, including
prisons, police stations, youth justice and care and
protection residences, as well as care homes for the elderly
and drug rehabilitation centres.
The SPT
delegation conducted confidential interviews with people
deprived of liberty and officials working in various
facilities. The delegation also met with Government
officials, the country’s independent monitoring body,
collectively known as the National Preventive Mechanism
(NPM), and civil society representatives. In addition, the
SPT delegation carried out joint visits to detention
facilities with the NPM to support their
work.
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“New Zealand has one of the
oldest established NPMs among States Parties, and we had the
opportunity to engage in extensive discussion about the
challenges in carrying out their mandate. In particular, New
Zealand should consider strengthening the coordination role
of the Human Rights Commission, providing ringfenced budget
lines for NPM activities, and ensuring that the NPM has a
broad mandate to visit all places of deprivation of
liberty,” Muhammad said.
“Recent legislative
changes restricting bail for certain offences are likely to
increase the already substantial remand population in New
Zealand. This means accused individuals may spend even
longer in custody awaiting trial,” said Muhammad. “We
are especially concerned about children held on remand, who
do not receive any reduction of their sentences to account
for time already spent in custody,” she added.
The
Subcommittee will submit a confidential report to the
Government of New Zealand with its observations and
recommendations on preventing torture and ill-treatment of
people deprived of liberty. As with all other States
parties, it encourages New Zealand to make this report
public following the visit.
The SPT delegation was
composed of the following members of the Subcommittee: Aisha
Shujune Muhammad, Head of Delegation (Maldives), Djordje
Alempijevic (Serbia), Elīna Šteinerte (Latvia), and Victor
Zaharia (Moldova), as well as two Human Rights Officers from
the SPT
Secretariat.
