Download the guide
Hate Crime Booklet
Download the NZ Police and partners hate crime guide for more information about hate crime in New Zealand.
Online hate refers to any form of communication or content shared on the internet that discriminates, harasses, or threatens individuals or groups based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or other personal attributes.
Download the guide
Download the NZ Police and partners hate crime guide for more information about hate crime in New Zealand.
Last Updated07/11/2024
Online hate crimes and incidents are actions taken online motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person’s actual or perceived race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or age.
They can include a broad range of acts such as threatening behaviour, harassment, verbal abuse, online abuse, criminal damage, assault, and sexual violence.
The fact that we now live our lives in a constant flux between real world and online spaces, means that this behaviour can now be experienced "virtually" as well as physically.
Like physical world hate incidents, online hate can manifest in various ways, including hate speech, cyberbullying, trolling, and the spread of extremist ideologies.
While anyone can be the target of online hate incidents, certain groups are understood to be more vulnerable due to longstanding societal biases and prejudices. These groups can include racial or ethnic minorities, LGBTQAI+ communities, women and girls, religious minorities and people with disabilities.
Some examples of the type of online harm members of these communities have reported experiencing include:
Lots of organisations are working to try to prevent the harm caused by online hate before it happens. It requires a combined approach from individuals, civil society, government bodies and education.
Efforts can include a range of work such as digital literacy, awareness raising of the harm impact of such behaviour, platform policies and community standards, reporting mechanisms for swift remediation, community building and law reform.
If you’re experiencing bullying, abuse or harassment online Netsafe can explain how the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA)(/our-work/helpline-services/the-harmful-digital-communications-act) may apply to you.
The 10 communication principles in the HDCA outline that a digital communication should not denigrate a person’s colour, race, ethnic or national origins, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
Our team can walk you through your options for reporting the incident and advise you on aspects such as gathering digital evidence.
You can see our guide on gathering digital evidence(/online-abuse-and-harassment/how-to-record-digital-evidence) here.
Support the victim: Ensure they are safe and not alone.
Record it: Gather evidence by recording videos, taking photos, or noting details (if safe to do so). Follow our advice for recording digital evidence here.(/online-abuse-and-harassment/how-to-record-digital-evidence)
Tell someone: Report to authorities or call 111 if someone is in danger.
You can report online hate incidents to Netsafe
Police: Call 111 if someone is in danger. For non-urgent reports, use their online(http://105.police.govt.nz/) reporting system.
Human Rights Commission: The Commission handle enquiries and complaints(https://tikatangata.org.nz/resources-and-support/make-a-complaint) about unlawful discrimination and harassment.
You can report violent extremist content here(https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=XMpZ9kf8lk6yTRTJXfE6yy1PwW3W-pxOivGsWXhrFX5UQjdGN0dLWjZMU09RQkowVk5SUTM4MEhFQSQlQCN0PWcu) to the Department of Internal Affairs' Digital Safety Team.
Violent extremism refers to an individual or group who justifies the use of violence, or advocates for others to use violence in order to radically change the nature of government, religion or society. This type of violence is often targeted at groups that violent extremists perceive as threatening or undermining their worldview.
The spread of this type of material online can lead to incidents of online, or even real-world hate incidents, targeting the communities featured in the material.
You can read more on the DIA's website.(https://www.dia.govt.nz/Countering-Violent-Extremism-Online)
There are a range of resources and services available to help including phone and online services and information, as well as face to face support.
Download this poster to display and share important information about how to respond to hate crimes and incidents.
Download this poster to display and share important information about how to respond to hate crimes and incidents.