death penalty was abolished in new zealand in 2002.
when was death penalty abolished in new zealand?
2002
these last theoretical vestiges of capital punishment were abolished under the palmer labour cabinet in november 1989 with the passage of the "abolition of the death penalty act 1989", and there were no further executions during the interim period. passage of the "abolition of the death penalty act" ended all capital punishment in new zealand. the cook islands, which based its statutes on new zealand law, formally retained the death penalty for treason until it was abolished in 2007. the death penalty was never used in the cook islands.
capital punishment in new zealand
in 1808 romilly had the death penalty removed for pickpockets and lesser offenders, starting a process of reform that continued over the next 50 years. the death penalty was mandatory (although it was frequently commuted by the government) until the judgement of death act 1823 gave judges the power to commute the death penalty except for treason and murder. the punishment of death, etc. act 1832 reduced the number of capital crimes by two-thirds. in 1832, the death penalty was abolished for theft, counterfeiting, and forgery except for the forgery of wills and certain powers of attorney. gibbeting was abolished in 1832 and hanging in chains was abolished in 1834. in 1837, the death penalty for forging wills and powers of attorney was abolished. the death penalty for rape was abolished in 1841. in 1861, several acts of parliament (24 & 25 vict; c. 94 to c. 100) further reduced the number of civilian capital crimes to five: murder, treason, espionage, arson in royal dockyards, and piracy with violence; there were other offences under military law. the death penalty remained mandatory for treason and murder unless commuted by the monarch.
capital punishment in the united kingdom