20pc crimes may be classed as hate

About 20 per cent of crimes committed in New Zealand could potentially be classed as hate crimes, new estimates show.

For sexual violence incidents, the proportion perceived to be motivated, at least partly, by the offender’s attitude to the victim’s race, gender, sexuality, age, religion or disability, was a staggering 75 per cent.

The statistics were highlighted in the Justice Ministry’s Highly Victimised People report based on the results of the New Zealand Crime and Victim’s Survey of 8000 people.

The study also found that gay, lesbian and bisexual people were much more likely to be victims of crime than heterosexuals and were less likely to report it.

Advocates for minority communities have described the findings as ‘‘concerning’’, but said they matched what they had heard from victims.

Unlike other countries, such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand does not have a separate offence for hate crimes.

After the March 15 terror attacks at two Christchurch mosques, Justice Minister Andrew Little said he was fasttracking a review of current hate speech legislation.

Human Rights Commission chief legal adviser Janet Anderson Bidois said because of the lack of data relating to hate crimes, their prevalence in New Zealand remained unclear.

The commission has for years called for improvements to how hate crime data is collected.

‘‘Better data can provide information about who is being targeted . . . This sort of information can assist in designing effective measures to counter hatemotivated crime and prevent it from happening as well as identifying ways to support those who are the victims of these offences,’’ Anderson Bidois said.

Rainbow Youth executive director Frances Arns said many LGBTIQ-plus people experienced discrimination at school, work or in public generally.

‘‘While it’s disappointing to see this report, it’s not surprising to us that rainbow communities are disproportionately affected by hate crimes.’’