Bill Hickman, Journalist

Clarification: Context has been added for the increase in the number of murder and manslaughter convictions, showing the number of convictions proportionate to charges.

• Murder convictions are up 77% on the previous year
• More than half of manslaughter charges remain unproven
• Meth continues to dominate drug landscape with over 50% of drug offence convictions
• More than 70% of sexual offence charges involve victims under the age of 16

New justice statistics for 2023/24 show significant rises in the number of convictions for murder, manslaughter and driving causing death - though population increases are playing a part.

The murder conviction rate has reached the highest since the country was rocked by the death of 51 people in the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019.

The total number of murder charges has gone up by 31 percent, but many more have resulted in successful convictions. The average conviction rate for murder in the last decade is 55 percent, but was 63 percent in the most recent financial year.

The figures show drug-related charges and convictions declining over the past 10 years.

Murder conviction rate has big jump

Murder convictions have risen by 77 percent on the previous year.

The 55 murder convictions between July 2023 and June 2024 are 59 percent higher than the 10 year average number of 35 per year (rounded from 34.7).

(Note: The Christchurch Mosque shootings skewed the number of murder convictions over the past decade with the average number of convictions gained coming to less than 30 per year if the terror attack had not taken place.)

Manslaughter also up

Forty-seven convictions for manslaughter also make 2023/24 the highest for that offence since 2020/21 - up more than a third (38 percent) on the previous year's 34 convictions.

Manslaughter charges increased by 27 percent in the last year.

Attempted murder

Police appear to not to be making charges of attempted murder stick with more than half (59 percent) of 17 charges remaining unproven.

The figure represents the worst outcome in 10 years when 69 percent of charges unproven in 2014/15.

Convictions for driving causing death is up 22 percent on the previous year with 2023/24's 83 convictions the highest since 106 convictions were secured for the offence during 2018/19.

The proportion of successful convictions for the charge has held steady over the past 10 years with this year's 76 percent (of 109 charges leading to convictions) closely aligned with the 10 year average of just under 75 percent.

Family violence

Charges for family violence have grown by nearly 10 percent (8.15 percent) on the average number over the past 10 years with 31,209 charges in the year spanning 2023/34.

The year's figure is the highest number of charges for family violence offences since 2020/21 when 428 more charges were laid for family violence offences (31,637).

Convictions for family violence charges are holding steady with this year's 69 percent rate hovering just below the 10 year average of just over 70 percent.

Sexual offences

Charges for sexual assault within a family violence context (3022) are up more than 12 percent on the previous year (2689).

Convictions for sexual offences have risen steadily over the past 10 years with this year's 3022 convictions more than 8 percent (8.29 percent) above the average number of 2791 convictions over each of the past 10 years.

More than 70 percent (72.43 percent) of sexual offence charges involve victims under the age of 16.

Drug offences

There has been a gradual shift in the proportion of charges laid for drug offences over the past 10 years.

In 2014/15 cannabis made up the largest number of charges accounting for 47 percent of 14,521 charges while methamphetamine charges were responsible for just over a third.

The trend was underpinned by the passing of the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act in 2019 - in which a health-based approach allowed police discretion for the prosecution of personal drug use.

The act reinforced the police focus on those who profit from drug dealing as opposed to individual users.

Police laid just over 1400 fewer charges for drugs offences in 2023/24 compared to 2014/15.

The 13,112 charges for 2023/24 are nearly nine percent less than the average number of charges laid each year for the past 10 years and more than 3000 less than a peak in charges peaked in 2017.

This year's 3556 convictions stemming from drug-related charges is a nearly 24 percent reduction on the number of convictions gained in 2014/15 and more than 750 less than the average number of convictions gained each year for the past 10 years.

Discharged without conviction

The number of charges that lead to a discharge without conviction has steadily risen over the past 10 years.

Almost 5000 charges were quashed during 2023/24 - nearly 60 percent more than 10 years prior.

Traffic and vehicle regulatory offences accounted for the largest proportion - making up just over a third of overturned charges - while acts intended to cause injury and dangerous or negligent acts endangering persons made up just over 18 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

Just over $270 million was put towards legal aid in the last year, continuing a steady growth which had seen the expenditure more than double in the past 10 years.

Applications for civil legal aid surged by nearly 80 percent on the previous year - with over a thousand more applications - and more than $4.5m going towards legal support for family court and civil matters - such as employment disputes.

Meanwhile, criminal, family and Waitangi Tribunal-based applications for aid have grown by only one, six and two percent, respectively, since the previous year.

The effect could be explained by the significant backlog of cases in the country's courts following the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in more than 140,000 court appearances being delayed since March 2020.

This story was originally published by RNZ