Robberies are attempts to steal that can involve physical threats or actual assaults, sometimes with a weapon. The number of reported robberies increased significantly from the 1980s until the early 2000s, reaching a peak in 2006 (2916). 

In 2014 New Zealand Police replaced the old official statistics on ‘recorded offences’ and ‘recorded apprehensions’ with new and improved statistical series based on ‘crime victimisations’ and ‘proceedings against offenders’. Reported robbery victimisations have risen since 2015. 

Note: Statistics across the transition period are not comparable from old to new. A report describing the change in crime statistics is available on the New Zealand Police website.