Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the Victims Centre?

A: The Victims Centre is an overarching body with a mandate to oversee victims' rights, services and resources, provide information to people who work with victims, and to encourage better coordinated services across agencies. It is outside the Victims Centre mandate to provide direct services to victims.   The Victims Centre has been established for an 18 month period (until October 2012). For more information on the Victims Centre, link to the Ministry of Justice external site by clicking here

Q. Why do we need a Victims Centre?

A: A Victims Centre is needed because a range of agencies are involved in providing services to victims.  The role of the Victims Centre is to work with government and non-government agencies to identify ways that services could be better co-ordinated and victims better informed.

Q. What is the relationship between the Victims Centre and Victim Support?

A: The Victims Centre operates out of the Ministry of Justice. Victim Support is an independent charitable trust that receives funding from the Ministry of Justice to deliver services and financial assistance, and works closely with the NZ Police.

Q. Who are considered ‘victims’?

A: The Victims’ Rights Act 2002 (the Act) defines a victim as any person against whom an offence is committed or alleged to have been committed by another person. The definition of a victim includes child victims, parents of child victims and close family and whānau members of a person who has died or been made incapable, unless that parent, guardian or close family member is charged with the commission of the offence. 

Q. What is the Victims of Crime Reform Bill about?

A: On 7 March 2011, Cabinet approved a package of reforms that will enhance victims’ rights and role in the criminal justice system and ensure that government agencies are more responsive and accountable to victims.

The Bill, which will amend the Victims’ Rights Act 2002 (the Act) and related legislation, was introduced on 16 August 2011. The Bill will make a number of amendments that expand victims’ rights and require new processes to be established by agencies. The Bill will require the Ministry of Justice to prepare a Victims Code as soon as practicable after the Bill is in force.

Q. What is the Victims Code?

A: The Ministry of Justice is tasked with leading the development of a Victims Code, which will outline victims’ rights, list the full range of support services which are available to them and outline complaints processes.  

The Ministry of Justice will present a draft Code to Cabinet by June 2012, with public consultation to follow. The Code will come into force three months after the Victims of Crime Reform Bill is enacted, to allow agencies to undertake necessary training, establish new processes, and update existing systems.

Q. Who are the key agencies and groups involved with development of the Code?

A: The Victims Centre works closely with a range of agencies that are involved in the delivery of services and information to victims. The following agencies are contributing to the Code: New Zealand Police, Crown Law, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Social Development, Department of Labour, and Accident Compensation Corporation. 

The Victims Centre is also working closely with non-government agencies (NGOs) on the development of the Victims Centre and the Code, including Victim Support, TOAH-NNEST, the NGO Alliance, Sensible Sentencing Trust, and Rethinking Crime and Punishment.

Q. What are the Victims Code Engagement events that have been planned to inform the development of the Victims Code?

A: Between November 2011 – February 2012, the Ministry of Justice is undertaking a targeted engagement process to obtain a range of views on the form of and content for the Victim Code.  The purpose of this engagement is to gain an understanding of how the Code could best be organised so that it supports improved service delivery for victims. 

The Victims Centre is hosting workshops and meetings with victims, iwi, Māori organisations, NGO sector leaders, frontline staff working with victims, independent investigators and statutory bodies, population agencies and interest groups, and the judiciary. 

Q. What benefits will the Victims Centre and the Code provide for victims of crime?

A: The Enhancing Victims Rights Review (2010) noted that victims find the criminal justice process confusing, particularly due to the number of agencies involved and experience difficulties in getting information on services available to them.  These difficulties can erode victims’ confidence in the criminal justice system. 

The aim of the Centre is to improve inter-agency collaboration and co-ordination regarding the information and services available to victims. Having a greater understanding of what services and support is available, and from what agencies, will increase access of services to victims.

The Code could make a tangible difference in terms of victims’ confidence in government services, increasing their willingness to engage with government services and impacting positively on the reporting of crime.

Q. How will these benefits be achieved?

A: To achieve this, victims need to understand the Code and see it as a vehicle for engaging with and providing feedback on services designed to meet their needs.  Gaining the buy-in of victims and the wider community at the start of the development of the Code is critical for raising awareness of the value of a Code.

Q. How will service providers be made more accountable in terms of service delivery for victims of crime?

A: The Code will clarify the roles and responsibilities of each agency, making it clear which agency is accountable for which area of service delivery. The Victims Code will also clarify how victims of crime can make a complaint if services do not meet these standards.

Q. When will decisions be made about the future of the Victims Centre?

A: The Victims Centre has been established for an 18 month period (until October 2012) within the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice will review the Victims Centre after 12 months of operation (June 2012) and report to the Minister of Justice regarding its future direction and function.