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Opinion | Far-right extremism still alive in New Zealand, a year after Christchurch mosque attacks
- While police have increased surveillance on extremist groups, there is still a tendency within the country to view the act of terror as a one-off event
- But with 60 to 70 groups still active in New Zealand and far-right extremism growing worldwide, the risk of hate crimes occurring remains
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
In the hours after the Christchurch mosque attacks on March 15 last year, I wrote that I hoped New Zealand would finally stop believing it was immune to far-right extremist violence. Twelve months later, I am not sure enough has changed.
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I’ve researched far-right extremism for decades – and I would argue it remains a high-level threat in New Zealand, not just overseas.
My assessment is that there are about 60 to 70 groups and somewhere between 150 and 300 core right-wing activists in New Zealand.
This sounds modest alongside the estimated 12,000 to 13,000 violent far-right activists in Germany. But proportionate to population size, the numbers are similar for both countries. And it only takes one activist to act out his extremism.
The events on March 15 have become something of a guide – and unfortunately – an inspiration to other right-wing terrorists.
In the past year, there has certainly been greater investment by New Zealand’s security agencies in monitoring extremist groups and activists. There has been more media coverage. The government moved quickly to ban assault weapons and further controls on the use and possession of arms are underway. Other initiatives, including a royal commission of inquiry, are pending.
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