Reducing Māori youth offending - Kia whakaiti hara o kā rakatahi Māori

Sergeant Tom Brooks is building partnerships that are transforming the lives of young people and their families.

E haka rakapū ana a Haihana Tom Brooks kia whakaumu i kā koiora o kā rakatahi me ō rātou whānau.

As the Manager of Youth and Community Services for the New Zealand Police in the Eastern Bay of Plenty Area, Sergeant Tom Brooks was determined to improve outcomes for Māori who come to the attention of the Police. He worked closely with the Tūhoe iwi to build trust and develop an alternative to the more formal Youth Justice System. The result was Oho Ake, an initiative in which Police and Tūhoe work together to reconnect troubled youngsters with their Māori culture and steer them and their whānau away from crime.

In suitable cases youth offenders are referred to Tūhoe Hauora, which works with the offender's whānau to develop a whānau plan. This includes assessment of the family’s needs and any underlying issues, setting of short and long-term goals for the whānau and offender, and ensuring the young person is held accountable for their offending. Police are advised of progress at a review at three months and decide whether the case can be closed. Tūhoe Hauora continue to work with the whānau, sometimes for 18 months or more.

Oho Ake has been credited with dramatically reducing the number of young Māori in the justice system in the Eastern Bay of Plenty since the programme began in 2010. An independent evaluation in 2014 showed 49% had not reoffended and the remaining 51% had significant gaps before reoffending. Most of the young people involved had re-entered education or employment, their parents were more involved in their lives and substance misuse was falling. Tom said in Whakatane alone in 2012/13 Youth Aid staff had 130 Family Group Conferences with 73 young people; in 2016/17 this was down to 33 FGCs with 23 offenders.

“There are currently now just seven young people in the court system in Eastern Bay of Plenty – that’s quite remarkable,” he said.

Oho Ake has won the Supreme Award in the 2017 Evidence Based Problem Oriented Policing (EBPOP) Awards, and also the award for Excellence in Achieving Collective Impact.

In the last few years Tom has taken this work further by:

Helping three other districts adapt the Tūhoe model for their own regional alternative action initiatives.
In partnership with others leading the development of a new initiative, Hui-a-Whānau, with Tūhoe and with Oranga Tamariki to provide iwi-led Family Group Conferences in Youth Justice and care and protection cases.

The change management process required to implement Oho Ake and Hui-a-Whānau was the subject of Tom's thesis for his Master of Professional Practice, with facilitator James Harrison and academic mentor Glenys Ker. Key influencers need to be on board but that is not enough. Empowering communities to identify and address issues affecting them requires a culture change in the police and other relevant government departments. Relationships are also critical to success, building a high degree of trust and confidence on all sides. Tom hopes this process will become a blueprint for government departments working in partnership with communities, especially with Māori.

“By undertaking work based learning it has more relevance and meaning to the individual and then, how theory of others then fits or not in that learning. To see what is out there and others are doing really helps, but you cannot beat the learning when it has some practical application to your work. I really enjoyed researching for the literature review, that for me was a huge help when it came to putting things together."

Hei Kaiwhakahaere o Youth and Community Services mō Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa ki Waiariki ki te Tai Rāwhiti a Haihana Tom Brooks, ā, i pūkeke ia ki te whakapiki i kā putaka mō kāi Māori nā rātou te whakatāuteute o Ngā Pirihimana i mau ai. I mahi tata rātou ko te iwi o Tūhoe hei haka whakawhirinaki, hei whakawhanake hoki i tētahi momo ōkawa ake o te Youth Justice System. Kātahi ka puta mai a Oho Ake, he kaupapa mā Ngā Pirihimana rātou ko Tūhoe kia mahi kātahi hei tūhono anō kā rakatahi pōraruraru ki ō rātou Māoritaka, ā, ka ārahina rātou ko ō rātou whānau i te mahi taihara.

I kā kēhi tika, ka tuku kā rakatahi hara ki Tūhoe Hauora, nā rātou ko te whānau o te rakatahi hara i mahi kātahi ai ki te haka i tētahi mahere whānau. Ka whakauru tēnei i tētahi aromatawai o kā hiahia a te whānau me ētahi atu take, i whakarite hoki i kā whāika hau poto, i kā whāika karioi hoki mō te whānau rātou ko te rakatahi hara, ā, ka haepapa te rakatahi mō āna hara.

Nā Oha Ake i kaha whakaiti ai te nama o kāi rakatahi Māori i te hinoka ture ki Waiariki ki te Tai Rāwhiti mai i te tīmataka o te hōtaka i te tau 2010. E ai ki tētahi arotake motuhake i te tau 2014, e 49% o kā rakatahi kāore i te hara anō, ā, mō te toeka (e 51%) he ako nui i waekanui i kā mahi hara. I whakauru anō te nuika o kā rakatahi ki te ao mātauraka, ki tētahi mahi rānei, ka whakauru hoki kā mātua ki ō rātou koiora, i hika hoki te kai whakapōāuau. E kīia ana a Tom, ki Whakatāne anake, i kā tau 2012/13, 130 kā Hui Whānau o kā kaimahi e tautoko ana i kā rakatahi i te taha o kā rakatahi e 73; i kā tau 2016/17, e 33 noa iho kā Hui Whānau i te taha o kā rakatahi e 23.

“There are currently now just seven young people in the court system in Eastern Bay of Plenty – that’s quite remarkable.”

Kua whiwhi a Oho Ake i te Whakawhiwhika Matua i te 2017 Evidence Based Problem Oriented Policing (EBPOP) Awards, ā, i tētahi tohu mō te Excellence in Achieving Collective Impact.

I kā tau ruarua kua pahure, ka whakanui ake a Tom i tana mahi, arā:

E tautoko ana i kā rohe e toru kia urutau i te tauira o Tūhoe mō ō rātou ake kaupapa mahi kē.
I te mahi tahi rātou ko ētahi atu i whakawhanake ai i tētahi kaupapa hou, arā, he Hui-a-Whānau, i te taha o Tūhoe me Oranga Tamariki kia whakarato i kā Family Group Conferences e arahina ana e kā iwi ki roto i Youth Justice me kā kēhi manaaki, parahau hoki.

Ko te hātepe whakahaeretaka hei whakarerekē i hiahiatia ai kia whakatinana i a Oho Ake, i a Hui-a-Whānau ate kaupapa o te tuhika roa a Tom mō tana Tohu Paerua o Professional Practice, ko James Harrison te kaiārahi, ko Glenys Ker te kaiakopono mātauraka. Me whakaae kā kaiwhakaawe matua, heoi, kāore i te rawaka tērā. Ki te whakamanatia kā hapori kia tautuhi, kia whakapai i kā take, me whakarerekē i te ahurea ki roto i Ngā Pirihimana me kā hinoka kāwanataka. He whakahirahira hoki kā honoka kia tutuki pai, arā, ka haka whakawhirinaki me te māiataka i kā huka katoa. E tūmanako ana a Tom, he tauira pai tēnei whakariteka mō kā hinoka kāwanataka e mahi kātahi ai ki kā hapori, ki te iwi Māori hoki.

“By undertaking work based learning it has more relevance and meaning to the individual and then, how theory of others then fits or not in that learning. To see what is out there and others are doing really helps, but you cannot beat the learning when it has some practical application to your work. I really enjoyed researching for the literature review, that for me was a huge help when it came to putting things together."

Pānuihia ētahi atu kōrero mō te Tohu Paerua o Professional Practice.

October 2017