From the Britomart shooter to Xavier Valent: The biggest crime news of 2023 - The Front Page

Emergency services and armed police respond to the July 20 shooting in downtown Auckland. Photo / NZ Herald

Crime is rarely far from the agenda in New Zealand, but in 2023, it seemed to be the main thing Kiwis were talking about.

While the ram raids that dominated headlines in 2022 became less common this year, in the build-up to the October election, concerns over apparently spiking crime rates and increased unease continued to spark debate.

One of the most shocking incidents of the year came on July 20, when the country awoke to the news that during the morning rush, 24-year-old Matu Tangi Matua Reid had entered a construction site at Auckland’s Commercial Bay with a firearm and opened fire. Two men, Solomona Tootoo and Tupuga Sipiliano, were murdered by the gunman and multiple others were injured, while Reid also died of a self-inflicted injury.

In the court system, history was made when 34-year-old Xavier Valent was sentenced to life in prison for importing drugs into New Zealand. It was only the third time someone had received a life sentence in Aotearoa for meth-related charges.

But Valent was not your ordinary drug dealer. His six-week trial revealed details of a major global drug syndicate he sat at the head of, with dozens of “minions” working for him as he travelled the world living a life of luxury. NZ Herald crime reporter George Block was the only media present in court for the whole trial, and joined The Front Page, the Herald’s daily news podcast, to discuss the details of Valent’s offending.

The apparent rise in crime was often blamed on the Labour government of the time, but a Herald investigation earlier this year found while the number of people recorded as victims of crime increased during the Ardern-Hipkins years, the decline in convictions has been ongoing since 2009.

As for our fascination with crime, psychotherapist and co-host of The Nutters’ Club on Newstalk ZB, Kyle MacDonald, joined The Front Page after the Britomart shooting to discuss the impact it would have on the community and why we are so worried about crime, even when it doesn’t affect us.

Listen to the full episode for fascinating recaps and analysis of the year’s biggest crime stories.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.