Kiwis are being urged to reject a growing tide of racial hatred in the world, as Holocaust Remembrance events are held around the country today.

The Race Relations Commissioner wants Police to record hate crime statistics.

Dame Susan Devoy made the plea during her annual Holocaust Memorial speech in Wellington this afternoon.

She said we need to make certain we don't normalise hatred.

"I'm keen to see police gather hate crime statistics because at the present time it's not something they collate when responding to callouts," said Dame Susan.

Dame Susan said we need better and firmer restrictions when it comes to online forums, comment sections on media outlet websites and on social media accounts.  

Around six million Jews were killed in the holocaust and among those marking the atrocity is founding Director of the New Zealand Holocaust Centre, Inge Woolf.

The 82-year-old fled Austria with her parents in 1938 and now lives in New Zealand.

She said in a world fraught with racial tension Kiwis remain kind, compassionate and accepting towards others.