Abstract:
In the early years of the nineteenth century, crime in New Zealand was almost wholly unpunished. An imperial statute was passed in 1817 authorising trial and punishment of persons guilty of serious crimes in New Zealand, but as the means of enforcing the act did not exist, it remained practically a dead letter.
The first real attempt at law and order was made in 1838, when some of the more respectable elements amongst the thousand or so lawless inhabitants of Kororareka formed the Kororareka Vigilants' Association. This association passed resolutions for the protection of life and property, and established a court, the decisions of which could be carried out by force. Fines could be imposed, or punishment inflicted by the effective means of tarring and feathering. Delinquents were confined in the first New Zealand gaol - an old sea chest ventilated by gimlet holes.
The population rose rapidly, and with it, the amount of crime, and the necessity for law and order. With British sovereignty in 1840, the laws of New South Wales were extended to New Zealand, but two years later the Legislative Council in New Zealand took over the administration of justice in the colony. Those guilty of serious offences were transported to Tasmania, but minor offences were dealt with in New Zealand, and gaols or lock-ups were established locally, as required.
