23 January 2019
United Nations address an insult to New Zealand
In a move typical of a Government which wants to tell New Zealanders we are failing, Justice Minister Andrew Little has
sold New Zealand short at the United Nations when we should be promoting ourselves proudly on the world stage,
National’s Justice Spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.
“New Zealand has a great track record on human rights, democratic freedom and freedom of the press. We are regularly
ranked one of the least corrupt countries in the world.
“It is a Government’s responsibility to always look for improvement, but we can be proud of the steps we have made.
“Instead, Andrew Little has taken to the world stage and talked us down as a nation. He’s said that our justice system
is broken despite years of crime decreasing and New Zealanders feeling more safe in their communities.
“This is incredibly disheartening for the people who work on the frontline, such as our police, court staff, judges, and
corrections officers, who work hard to ensure we have one of the best justice systems in the world. Mr Little’s comments
will do nothing to improve confidence both domestically and internationally.
“Mr Little shouldn’t be apologising to countries that have far worse records on human rights than we do. We should be
proud of the nation we have built together.
“Labour’s plan to go soft on crime by reducing the prison population with no plan to reduce crime will hurt our
well-functioning justice system and make New Zealand less safe.”