Source: Radio New Zealand
An example of the military style uniform the youth in the pilot boot camp were required to wear. RNZ / Rachel Helyer-Donaldson
Oranga Tamariki aims to run its second boot camp for serious youth offenders in March next year using a new design.
The Children’s Minister earlier this week in a scrutiny hearing said no date had been set.
The ministry told the same hearing it was “giving some thought” to running a second one prior to the law being changed.
In response to RNZ inquiries, Oranga Tamariki sketched out its plans and preparation which it said were well advanced.
“Oranga Tamariki is planning to run a further voluntary programme, under existing legislative settings, with the intent to deliver in March 2026,” it said.
“This is an operational decision for Oranga Tamariki.”
It would take teenagers who volunteer, like the pilot last year, housed at the same Te Au rere a te Tonga youth justice residence in Palmerston North.
The Responding to Serious Youth Offending Amendment Bill that would enable a judge to sentence a teenager to time in a military-style academy had its first reading in Parliament in November.
On Tuesday, Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime had raised the prospect of a March start, but Minister Karen Chhour said no date was set.
Green MP Kahurangi Carter had been critical of the minister and officials for saying there were no definite decisions but recruiting before the legislation was in place.
Prime on Friday said the government had stated the legislation would be passed before there was another boot camp but instead it was experimenting on children.
“The answers from the minister were cagey,” Prime said.
Chhour has been approached for comment.
Prime said they were already progressing legislation before the first pilot was done, which was “questionable”.
“And now they haven’t passed the legislation and they are running a second programme … The lives of our children are far too important to politicise and that we should not gimmick policies and repeat failed experiments of the past.”
The results of the pilot showed a reoffending rate similar to boot camps of the past, she said.
The ministry’s programme lead Janet Mays told the hearing on Tuesday that planning was well advanced and drawing on lessons learned in the pilot in 2024-25.
Online advertising has been run to recruit for it.
“Evaluations of the pilot programme identified lessons learned, such as the need for stronger Iwi engagement, improved transition planning and more support for our kaimahi,” Mays said in Friday’s statement to RNZ.
“These are now being integrated into the new design.”
On Tuesday, Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime had raised the prospect of a March start, but Minister Karen Chhour said no date was set.
Green MP Kahurangi Carter had been critical of the minister and officials saying there were no definite decisions but recruiting was taking place before the legislation was in place.
It was recruiting for psychologists, case leaders, residential youth workers and other personnel.
“Oranga Tamariki is well advanced in its planning and preparation for the delivery.
“By delivering this, we can keep supporting young people through a programme which saw improvements across wellbeing, whānau and cultural connections and serious and violent offences drop by two-thirds when compared to a similar cohort.”
The physical infrastructure remained in place in Palmerston North.
Opponents had repeatedly raised concerns that boot camps had been found to be ineffective at reducing youth offending.
Evaluation reporting on the pilot said it created “meaningful and positive change” for the young people but was constrained by rushed implementation, a lack of continuity around therapeutic support and a lack of capacity in the residential phase.
It needed to have engaged with mana whenua earlier and supported whānau earlier, before the rangatahi returned home.
Mays told Tuesday’s hearing they aimed to have a new whānau support programme run alongside the residential phase.
The 2024 pilot had only a three-month residential phase – set to be extended – and a nine-month phase when the boys were back in their communities.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
