Māori Party pledge overhaul of 'broken' justice system

Māori Party co-leaders John Tamihere and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo / Supplied

The Māori Party has pledged it will overhaul the justice system and set up a $100 million Māori Legal Aid / Legal Defence Service to "protect Māori from the Crown".

Party spokesperson Donna Pokere-Phillips says it is well known that the current system is broken and that governments have failed to act on the criminalisation of Māori.

"We will keep calling this breach of our Tiriti o Waitangi agreements out until we get sovereignty back," she says.

The Māori Party would:

• Establish a fund for a Māori Restorative Justice System
• Replace punitive measures embedded within the current criminal justice system with a system of restorative justice and focus on rehabilitation.
• Amend racist laws, legal and policing processes that have the net effect of incarcerating innocent Māori.