Chinese New Zealanders Lead Rally Against Crime In Auckland

Monday, 15 July 2024, 5:03 pm
Article: RNZ

Gaurav Sharma, senior journalist
13 July 2024

Hundreds of Chinese New Zealanders attended an Auckland rally on Saturday organised by the Crime Prevention Group.

"We are here to convey to the government that enough is enough," David Yang, chair of Safe Communities Association, part of the Crime Prevention Group, told the crowd.

"The recent robbery at a jewellery store in Papatoetoe and the attack on a Chinese boy in Pakuranga prompted all of us to come out in solidarity.

"Our main demands are reducing the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 16 years (from the existing 18), and introducing criminal liability for parents of serious young offenders.

"We have put these to the National Party MPs present here today, who have assured us they will take it up with the ruling coalition."

National Party list MP Nancy Lu insisted the government is focused on restoring law and order.

"The Parliamentary justice select committee has gone through 16 bills since December," she said.

"So a lot of work has been going on in this space, which gives a clear signal to criminals that we have zero tolerance for people breaking laws. While things are getting better, it does take time."

ACT Party leader David Seymour, who was also at the protest, agreed.

"The people protesting today are really feeling they are not being heard. I am here to tell them we are listening and acting on it.

"In the seven months we have been in power, we have de-funded cultural reports, introduced laws to change the Sentencing Act, reintroduced laws to bring back three-strikes, increased the prison capacity, introduced a serious young offenders category, started a pilot of boot camps, change the priorities of police as well as increase their numbers.

"So we have done a lot of things, most of which will take time (to show results)."

Seymour repeated ACT's campaign promise to reducing the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 17.

"We campaigned on reducing the age of criminal responsibility to 17 years. The government we are part of now haven't agreed to it. But this remains our policy, and one we will continue to campaign on in future."

Seymour's Parliamentary colleague and ACT list MP Parmjeet Parmar promised to take the voice of the protesters to the Beehive.

"We are here to ensure their voices matter and is taken to the Parliament."

Labour Party's MP for Te Atatū Phil Twyford noted he does not support the demand for reducing the minimum age of criminal responsibility, but said, "I am all in favour of doing everything we can, including changing the laws, wherever appropriate, to do things which will be effective in stopping repeating offending and bringing the crime rate down."

"The National Party campaigned on simplistic bumper sticker solutions and get tough on crime rhetoric. But crime hasn't decreased ever since they came to power.

"This tells us this (reduction in crime) needs a more thoughtful and intelligent approach."

Some of the protesters commented on the recent alleged racist attack on 16-year-old Jason Luo who was assaulted while travelling on a bus.

Cici Xie, who has been living in east Auckland for 10 years, said the crime situation has got worse in recent years.

"I don't feel safe taking a bus any more," she said.

Lilian Ouyang, who lives in Remuera, added: "As a Chinese New Zealander, I worry for my daughter's safety every day now when she goes to the university. We want the government to make sure incidents like this never happen again."

National MP Lu called on everyone to speak up when they face racism in New Zealand.

"Stand up and talk loud about it. All of us deserve to feel safe in this country, which we all love.

"Only when we unite to talk about it, things will change."

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