Andrew Little's appearance before the UPR was New Zealand's third.

NZ's Justice minister has told the world New Zealand's justice system is broken and says the country is failing women.

Andrew Little made the comments at the United Nationals Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday night (New Zealand time).

"It's fair to say that our justice system is broken."

ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF Little touted several government policies during his talk including the well-being budget.

New Zealand's incarceration rate was one of the highest in the world and had risen in recent years, Little said.

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Little also pointed to statistics showing one third of women in New Zealand would experience emotional or sexual violence in their lifetime as evidence the country was "failing New Zealand women".

ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF Justice Minister Andrew Little said high incarceration was evidence New Zealand's justice system was broken.

The UPR subjects United Nations members states to a review of their human rights records with each member state getting the opportunity to provide recommendations.

It is the third review New Zealand has faced, the last one was fronted by then Justice Minister Judith Collins in 2014.

Collins spoke to the UPR about programmes targeted at reducing family violence and the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Three years later Little alluded to a "significant political change" since that time and spoke of his government's wellbeing budget along with other flagship policies.

He said New Zealand aimed to prevent cross-generational cycles of sexual violence.

While Greece praised New Zealand's "remarkable" achievements in human rights and equality others criticised New Zealand on a number of issues including indigenous rights and prisoner rehabilitation.

Christine McCarthy of the Howard League's Wellington branch said the organisation was pleased several nations had recommended New Zealand address its prison conditions including discrimination against Maori, mental health and overcrowding issues in prisons, and making the country's prisons should comply with UN minimum standards.

"Greater education of prisoners' rights can only be a positive step," she said. "Equally critical is the identification of overcrowding in prisons and the need for better access to mental health care."

United Nations representatives from several nations including Egypt, Indonesia and Russia said New Zealand had room for improvement in its treatment of Māori.

Ireland echoed Little's concerns around the rights of women and said the country was "concerned at the levels of domestic violence in New Zealand especially against women".



Iran criticised New Zealand's lack of a national strategy to combat racism, xenophobia and "religious hatred" while several other countries highlighted migrant exploitation as another area of improvement for New Zealand.

Little responded by saying New Zealand was "proudly multicultural" and pointed to a review underway to address migrant exploitation.

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