Capital punishment in New Zealand

The death penalty

The first execution in New Zealand was that of a young Maori named Maketu, convicted at Auckland in 1842. Walter Bolton became the last to be executed when he was hanged at Mount Eden prison in 1957. In total there were 83 verified executions for murder and one for treason in New Zealand between these dates.

The method of execution has always been hanging, and before 1862 executions were conducted in public. Colour Sergeant James Collins of the 65th Regiment was the first to be executed out of public view, at Wellington in January 1862. The official method of execution was outlined in an 1880 'Memorandum upon the Execution of Prisoners by Hanging with a Long Drop'.

The offences that carried the death penalty in New Zealand were, in accordance with English common law, 'murder, treason and piracy'. The Labour Party had opposed capital punishment, and after it took office in 1935 it commuted all death sentences to life in prison. This policy was confirmed by the abolition of the death penalty for murder in 1941. The National government restored it in 1950, and from 1951 to 1957 there were 18 convictions for murder and eight executions. Labour returned to office in late 1957 and, the following year, made the death penalty inoperative.

With the matter seemingly being decided on the whim of the party in office, it was put to a conscience vote in 1961. Members of Parliament were not forced to vote according to party policy, and, accordingly, 10 members of the National government voted with the opposition, and capital punishment was removed from the statute book except for treason. 'Treason, mutiny and treachery' in the armed forces were no longer punishable by death under the terms of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act in 1989.

In times of perceived increases in violent crime or when there has been a particularly high profile murder, the debate about tougher punishment comes up. Some people believe tougher punishments will deter people from committing crime. The ultimate in tougher penalties is the death penalty. At the end of 2005 TVOne's Close Up show asked viewers whether they supported the reintroduction of the death penalty (capital punishment) in New Zealand. A total of 9685 viewers responded, with the overwhelming majority, 7063, answering yes and 2622 saying no.