Capital punishment in New Zealand first appeared in a codified form when New Zealand became a British territory in 1840, and was first employed in 1842. It was last used in 1957, abolished for murder in 1961, and abolished altogether, including for treason, in 1989. During the period that it was in effect, 85 people were executed.
Read more about Capital Punishment In New Zealand: Method, History, Abolition: 1949–1961, Abolition and Its Aftermath: 1961 Onwards
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“We make needless ado about capital punishment,—taking lives, when there is no life to take.”
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