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The launch of Te Pae Oranga at Aotearoa Marae in South Taranaki on Thursday. Back row, left to right: Deputy Commissioner Wallace Haumaha, Area Commander Belinda Dewar, John Hooker, Larnee Wallace, Howie Tamati, Selwyn Lackner-Priest, and Commissioner Andrew Coster. Front row, left to right: Ahinekura Crawford, Ngapera Akapita, Mark Nicholas, Aroha Nuku and George Rapana
In Taranaki, a new Maori-led approach has been launched to tackle crime and prevent recidivism.
The Te Pae Oranga Iwi Community Panels are a partnership between the police and Maori across the country, and the new Taranaki panel is number 16 in New Zealand.
It was released on Thursday at Aotearoa Marae in Okaiawa, South Taranaki.
The initiative is open to low-level criminals, holding them accountable while also providing support to address the issues in their lives that led them to commit crimes.
READ MORE:
* Discussions are underway to secure future funding for iwi community panels.
* Ongoing talks to bring iwi justice panels to Taranaki
* Iwi panels using Tikanga Maori solutions to help divert low-level offenders from the courts
The Taranaki initiative is supported by the eight Taranaki iwi, the police, Maori health providers and other organizations. It is in charge of the Ngāruahine Iwi Authority.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the program is “a fantastic example of police and Maori working together.”
“It is exciting to see community ownership of this initiative. It is making a big difference for the people who participate, ”he said.
Catherine Groenestein / Things
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster speaks at the Te Pae Oranga launch at Aotearoa Marae in South Taranaki on Thursday.
“The evidence shows that it is reducing the harm of recidivism by 22 percent compared to the normal court process.
“Not only is it the right way to work with the community, it is also more effective than the alternative.”
A feature of Te Pae Oranga are panels of community leaders who work with the offender, his whanau, and the victim and help them come up with a plan to fix things.
The plans include actions that participants must complete and conditions that they must follow.
In addition to looking at the crime itself, Te Pae Oranga panels also look at what was happening in people’s lives and connect them with the services and support they need.
Deputy Police Commissioner Iwi and Communities Wally Haumaha said Te Pae Oranga was a Maori-led approach to tackling crime that is open and effective for people of all ethnicities.
“Sometimes there is the misconception that Te Pae Oranga is a soft option. It is not, anyone who has seen a panel in action knows that it can be a confrontational experience.
“You have to accept responsibility, be open about your failures and problems, and ask people in your community for help,” he said.
“It also doesn’t overly punish people who make a mistake, are in trouble, or need help dealing with underlying problems.”
Supplied
Visitors are welcome on the wharenui for the launch of Te Pae Oranga at Aotearoa Marae in South Taranaki on Thursday.
The scheme started in Taranaki in February and already five people are going through the process and avoiding entering the court system, said Warren Nicholls, business manager at Ngāruahine Iwi Health Services, who leads the Te Pae Oranga team.
The Ngāruahine Iwi Authority is honored and privileged to deliver Te Pae Oranga on behalf of all the Iwi of Taranaki, ”said President Hori Manuirirangi.
Supplied
Deputy Police Commissioner Iwi and Communities Wally Haumaha speak during the launch of Te Pae Oranga at Aotearoa Marae in South Taranaki on Thursday.
“By partnering with the New Zealand Police, we are excited to extend this restorative justice model in Taranaki to enhance mana motuhake and advance Whanau Ora’s desire to achieve equitable and meaningful outcomes for whanau.
“Te Pae Oranga helps do this by addressing the underlying social, cultural and behavioral contexts of crime, and it truly enables and contributes to our vision of a high, successful, safe and nurturing whanau.”
