Results

It is quite clear from our results that there are two standards of justice in the courts of New Zealand. The defendant who has counsel is at a distinct advantage over the defendant who has not For this reason therefore, quite apart from any other, Maori offenders are at a disadvantage in the courts, and in the main do not receive just and fair treatment. This situation has existed ever since British-style justice was brought here, and the blame for its perpetuation to the present day rests solely with the Department of Justice. The gross discrepancies in the dispensation of justice to Maoris and to non-Maoris have always been ovious. And if pakeha administrators have in the past been unable to see them, then they cannot be excused for failing to listen to generations of Maoris who have pointed out the inequalities. The Department has done nothing beyond advising that legal and is available to those who will ask, and increase the fees paid to the few lawyers who will take these cases. The Department of Justice has always looked at the offenders to find the reasons for the considerable differences in conviction rates and sentencing, and has never considered that it might be responsible itself The administrators of Justice in New Zealand will have to recognize that in this regard they themselves, rather than the Maori offenders, are the problem.