Violence has become one of the most pressing social problems faced by society in the 1990's. In New Zealand, conviction rates for violent offenses are up from 7627 in 1985 to 16003 in 1994 and all indications are that this rate is steadily increasing. Maori offenders are over represented in New Zealand prisons, both in general, but also with regard to violent offending in particular. Intervention and prevention strategies aimed at reducing violent offending are continually being developed, and in New Zealand the Department of Corrections has taken a step in this direction by opening a specialised unit specifically designed to address treatment of violent offenders. However, while research in the theoretical development of aggression, anger, and violent behaviour has significantly advanced and provided many important findings in recent years, there is as yet no model of the process of violent offending available to which these fmdings may be applied. This study, using the qualitative framework of grounded theory, developed a preliminary descriptive model of the process of offending for convicted grievous bodily harm and assault, aggravated robbery, murder, and manslaughter offenders. The study also compared offence processes for Maori and Pakeha offenders. The model begins to clarify the predominant issues involved in violent offending and provides direction for further research.