Justice Minister Amy Adams
Rotorua courts have collected more than half a million dollars in offender levies since the measure was introduced by the Ministry of Justice in June 2010, new figures show.
According to the ministry, the Rotorua District and High Court raked in $115,410 in the first financial year, $135,720 the following year, $139,080 in 2013 and $125,760 last financial year.
The offender levy requires all convicted offenders to pay $50 towards services which support victims of serious crimes.
As of December 2014, $124,770 in offender levies were outstanding in Rotorua.
Sensible Sentencing Trust Rotorua spokesman Peter Bentley said the intention of the offender levy was noble but he was unsure whether victims benefited from the money.
"But I don't think there would be many victims who would put their hands up and say 'where's my money?'" he said. "They want to get back to normal as quickly as possible. In reality, money doesn't do that. It's the moral support from friends and family that does."
Mr Bentley and his wife Maggie were victims of a vicious home invasion in 2004, during which Mr Bentley was robbed at gunpoint and beaten nearly to death at their Maniatutu Rd home.
A spokeswoman for Justice Minister Amy Adams said the levy was an important part of the Government's work programme to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system through the funding of additional entitlements and services for victims of serious crime.
Nationally, more than $16.5 million had been collected in offender levies in the past four financial years.
Seventy eight per cent of offender levies had been paid as of December last year. Factors such as reparation needing to be paid first and offenders being in prison contributed to the outstanding fees, the minister's spokeswoman said.
The Government said last week the levy helped ease some of the financial and emotional pressures victims suffered as a result of crime. However, Gil Elliott, the father of murder victim Sophie Elliott, said the levy was a pretence as the Government appeared to take a hard line on offenders.
Mr Elliott, also a spokesman for the Sensible Sentencing Trust, said the levy was "supposed to punish offenders and be good for victims". However, he understood the offender levy was not being paid, and "the Government is pretending to be penalising offenders".
The ministry said it was not in a position to respond to questions about whether offenders were paying the levies.
Mr Elliott said levies should come from general taxation, as "there's definitely going to be people who won't pay it, despite what the Government says".
The levies contribute to services and grants through ACC and Victim Support, rather than the ministry providing money directly to victims of crimes.
A single levy is imposed at each sentencing, irrespective of the number of offences. Offender levies cannot be collected from prisoners but they would be required to pay on release. Notice of the offender levy is posted at the door to all courtrooms around the country.
The ministry said the money would be used to fund eight additional entitlements and services for victims of serious crime, including an enhanced homicide support service.
The service would provide four paid homicide support co-ordinators to work with Victim Support's volunteer network, and an increase from $1500 to $5000 in discretionary grants for families of homicide victims suffering financial difficulties.
Ms Adams said the Government would continue to focus on developing a stronger response to family violence and strengthening efforts over the next three years to better support victims.
"The offender levy ensures offenders contribute to addressing the harm their offending has caused," she said.