Newly-released police figures show the nationwide crime rate has fallen but offences are on the rise in Canterbury.
The total of recorded offences dropped 7.4% across New Zealand in 2012 and police say they are on track to meet their target of reducing the crime rate by 13% by 2015.
However, Canterbury bucked the trend, with the crime rate rising 5.6% - an increase of more than 2000 offences.
Police blame the effect of the Canterbury earthquakes for the increase.
Acting Police Commissioner Viv Rickard says there was a drop in crime immediately after the February 2011 quakes but the number of offences has been increasing steadily ever since.
He points out, however, the volume of crime in the region is still lower than it was before the quakes.
District Commander Gary Knowles says the Canterbury crime rate is still almost 18% lower than before the quakes.
Nationally, the figures also show police are not improving their rate of solving crime, which remains at 47%.
Small rise in reported crime in Northland
The figures also show a jump in assaults, sexual crime and harassment in Northland.
The overall number of recorded offences in the district rose 0.9% to more than 15,000 in 2012.
The rise was driven by a spike in assaults, which increased by 15% to 2197 offences.
Harassment and threatening behaviour rose by about 41% to 479 offences. There were 207 sexual assaults, an increase of about 28%.
Northland police say the increase in sexual crime is due in large part to the actions of former Pamapuria School deputy principal James Parker, who has been convicted on 49 charges of indecent assault and unlawful sexual connection.
They say the increase in reports of assault and harassment is due to a crackdown on family violence, following two family violence-related murders in the region.
