Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith (right) at Parliament with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith (right) at Parliament with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Government is proposing longer prison sentences for people who assault first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters and prison officers.
The changes would create a new offence for assaulting an on-duty first responder or prison officer. The maximum sentences for assaulting with intent to injure, or injuring with intent toinjure, would be increased by two years.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith described violence against first responders and prison officers as “heinous”.
“Where others may flee, first responders and prison officers run towards danger to help those who need urgent assistance,” Goldsmith said.
“Assaulting them puts multiple lives at risk, so there must be greater consequences for these heinous acts of violence. Our hardworking police officers, firefighters, paramedics and prison officers deserve better.”
Assaulting a first responder or prison officer to have a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment. This expands an existing provision on assaulting police to cover all first responders and prison officers.
Assaulting a first responder or prison officer with intent to injure will have a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. This is a two-year increase in penalty from the standard offence.
Injuring a first responder or prison officer with intent to injure will have a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment and will be added to Three Strikes. This is also a two-year increase in penalty from the standard offence.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (second from right) and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers (from left) with Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. Photo / Dean Purcell
Introducing specific offences for assaulting first responders is part of the NZ First-National coalition agreement and the latest in a series of harsher sentencing measures under the coalition Government’s justice reforms.
The Government is also expected to announce more changes to justice legislation this coming week. The Herald understands one announcement has been proposed by the Ministerial Advisory Group for Retail Crime.
The group was established in July 2024 to address the rising issue of retail crime, particularly focusing on strengthening citizens’ arrest powers and use-of-force options for retailers and the public. The group is chaired by Sunny Kaushal.
Offences committed from today will be subject to the Government’s tougher sentencing rules. They include capping the maximum discount a judge can apply at 40% with some exceptions and preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse.
The Government has introduced a new aggravating factor for offences committed against sole-charge workers and those whose homes and businesses are interconnected, such as a corner dairy, for example.
Cumulative sentencing will be encouraged for offending while on bail, in custody or on parole, and a sliding scale has been implemented for early guilty pleas. The principles of sentencing have also been amended so that a judge has to take the victims’ interest into account.
Sunny Kaushal. Photo / Jed Bradley
“Communities and hard-working New Zealanders should not be made to live and work in fear of criminals who clearly have a flagrant disregard for the law, Corrections officers and the general public,” Goldsmith said.
“We know that undue leniency has resulted in a loss of public confidence in sentencing and our justice system as a whole. We had developed a culture of excuses.”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.
Joseph Los’e is an award winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.
