Police are two years into a four-year programme of work to reduce the harm caused by hate-motivated offences in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Led by Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha, Te Raranga – The Weave is tackling hate-motivated offences on two fronts: providing new training to frontline staff and developing tools and information to help the public recognise and report hate crime.

“Reducing the harm caused by hate is an ongoing journey, one that New Zealand Police officially began in 2017,” says Wally.

“Earlier this year we launched new training to uplift our staff’s capability to confidently recognise, accurately record and respond specifically to hate.”

The training resources include interviews with human rights advocate and Kawanatanga co-lead of inclusive Aotearoa collective, Sister Anjum Rahman and a podcast featuring Deputy Chief Executive Insights and Deployment Mark Evans and the chair of the New Zealand Jewish Community Security Group, Phillip Green.

They each speak to the harmful ripple effect that hate-motivated events have had on their communities and beyond.

Since November 2022, Police recruits are assessed on how to respond to hate-motivated behaviour, as part of their initial training.

Hate crime training resources are also being integrated into all relevant college courses and workgroups throughout Police.

“Hate-motivated events cause immense harm within our communities,” says Wally. “Our response really matters.

“By ensuring our staff are equipped with the right tools and knowledge, we further embed improved systems, processes, and relationships into our service delivery.”

A leaflet 'Standing together against hate in Aotearoa', which gives guidance on how to recognise and report hate crime, is available in 27 languages.

-Police Ten One Magazine.