The Chief Victims Advisor is an independent ministerial advisor appointed by, and accountable to, the Minister of Justice. The role is 0.7 of a full-time-equivalent position and is supported by Ministry of Justice officials.
The role of the Chief Victims Advisor was established in 2015(external link) to provide government with independent advice about how to improve victims’ experiences across the justice sector.
The justice sector includes the criminal, youth and civil justice systems and involves Te Tāhū o te Ture - the Ministry of Justice, New Zealand Police, Ara Poutama Aotearoa - Department of Corrections, Youth Justice (Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Social Development), Crown Law and the Serious Fraud Office.
According to the Chief Victims Advisor Terms of Reference [PDF, 349 KB], as an independent ministerial advisor, the role is not designed to advocate for individual victims, but instead to identify themes and areas for improvement for victims/survivors across the justice sector and promote system improvement.
Information about the role and activities of the Chief Victims Advisor is found in the Briefing for the Incoming Minister of Justice (November 2020) [PDF, 279 KB].
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