The Guardian reports this week
Large proportion of M?ori among the more than 400 people to be convicted draws concerns about police bias
More than 400 New Zealanders have been convicted of breaching coronavirus restrictions, with one in five of them sentenced to prison terms.
New Zealand passed new laws in May last year that gave the Ministry of Health special powers and provided a legal framework for closing businesses, enforcing lockdowns or creating stay-at-home orders during the pandemic.
Over the past year, thousands of New Zealanders broke those rules – with more than 7,500 breaches recorded across the country.
Most breaches of New Zealand’s Covid rules don’t result in prosecution, but according to new Ministry of Justice data, a total of 640 people were charged with Covid-19 related offences, and more than three quarters of those, or 460, were convicted. Of those convicted, almost 20%, or 85 people in total, were sent to prison. The vast majority – nearly 80% – of those charged and convicted were young men.
However, justice system advocates said the arrests indicated racial bias and profiling in the enforcement of Covid rules.
Read more at. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/06/new-zealand-coronavirus-breaches-jailed-convictions