2. Question No. 2—JusticeTĀKUTA FERRIS (Te Pāti Māori —Te Tai Tonga) to the Associate Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 2—Justice2. TĀKUTA FERRIS (Te Pāti Māori —Te Tai Tonga) to the Associate Minister of Justice: What evidence if any does she have that reintroducing three-strikes legislation will reduce crime in Aotearoa?Hon NICOLE McKEE (Associate Minister of Justice): The Ministry of Justice has previously produced an evidence brief suggesting that reintroducing the three-strikes legislation in New Zealand has the potential to reduce crime. US studies on similar laws have shown reductions in both minor and serious violent crimes along with decreased arrest rates among offenders with previous strikes. The tougher sentences for offending that this regime will introduce for second- and third-strike offenders will ultimately keep serious repeat violent and sexual offenders off the street and prevent them from victimising more New Zealanders including Māori.Tākuta Ferris: What is the response to the 2018 report by then Prime Minister Bill English which called out Aotearoa's high rates of incarceration for being based on dogma not evidence and criticised policies such as three strikes for being a retributive rather than restorative approach to crime based on unsupported claims that prisons can solve the problem of crime?Hon NICOLE McKEE: My response to that report is that we have made constructive changes to the regime that will be implemented to ensure that those serious repeat violent sexual offenders are off our streets and our communities are safe. The reason for that is because this Government is committed to restoring law and order to our communities.Tākuta Ferris: Does she accept the findings from research from the United States in 2022 where this law was modelled from that showed three strikes has no measurable deterrent effect that it disproportionately locked up African Americans and that it had no impact on lowering crime rates at all?Hon NICOLE McKEE: The Ministry of Justice has previously produced an evidence brief which cited US studies showing similar three-strike laws have reduced serious violent crimes and reduced arrest rates for offenders who had received a first or second strike. I think what is really important here is that we have taken learnings from the previous regime and we will be introducing a new regime which goes about making sure that our communities are kept safe. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Excuse me—just wait for the quiet. Away you go.Tākuta Ferris: Tēnā koe e te Pīka. What is your response to the unequivocal majority the 99 percent of submitters at select committee who represented most of the law associations of this country that this bill is not fit to be passed into the House should be done away with and something new put in place?Hon NICOLE McKEE: I invite those people when they actually see the bill once it's produced to use the select committee process to give us their new version of what they think about it.Todd Stephenson: Have we seen an—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Hang on wait on. Questions will be asked in silence.Todd Stephenson: Thank you Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Well actually no—the question can be audible but everyone else can be silent.Todd Stephenson: Ha ha! My sign language is not very good. [Interruption]SPEAKER: OK just wait. We'll go quiet.Todd Stephenson: Have we seen an increase in violent crime justifying the need for a new three-strikes regime?Hon NICOLE McKEE: Well yes we have. Since Labour came into power we have seen a 33 percent increase in violent crime resulting in an increased number of victimisations. The new and improved three-strikes regime will hold serious repeat violent and sexual offenders to account get them off the street and prevent more Kiwis from becoming victims of crime.Todd Stephenson: What is the Minister's intention with the three-strikes policy?Hon NICOLE McKEE: To restore law and order by getting repeat violent and sexual offenders off the streets. We're sending a message to the criminals: think twice because if you commit a violent or sexual offence you're going to be going away for longer.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it the Minister and the Government's position that the greatest proportion of victims of violent crime are Māori and rather than make a sociological example we're going to do something about it?Hon NICOLE McKEE: Yes. Regardless of who a person is if they commit a serious sexual or violent offence they are going to be locked up. But what we do need to take into account is the disproportionate portion of Māori and Pasifika people who are victims of crime. It's very disappointing to see representatives from Te Pāti Māori not even speaking about the victims of crime but more about cuddling and cotton-wooling those criminals instead.