Rotorua: Christmas inside Te Maioha o Parekarangi youth justice residence

Te Maioha o Parekarangi (Youth Justice Residence). Photo / File

Santa has checked his list and will be stopping at Te Maioha o Parekarangi youth justice centre to pass on some Christmas spirit.

Te Maioha o Parekarangi youth justice residence is a 10-minute drive from Rotorua and is for rangatahi (young people) who have offended, are on remand, or on court-ordered sentences.

But celebrating Christmas tomorrow is just as important there as it is elsewhere.

Residence manager Christine Betchetti said celebrating the jolly season was important to for those inside the facility, just like it was for many New Zealanders.

"Christmas can also be a difficult time for some and we work hard to make sure that everyone at the residence feels valued and supported," she said.

The plain walls and routine have been replaced with decorations in the residence and those inside have had time to put together hampers for their families.

They included fudge, cookies, candied peanuts, dehydrated fruit strips, bracelets, cards and lip balm. All handmade by the youth.

On the menu

As is the case with many, Christmas day is largely centred around food and it will be no different for up to 30 of those inside.

The day will start with a few breakfast classics: bacon, hash browns and eggs.

And what are eggs without a glistening of hollandaise sauce to give it a touch of extra class? There will also be kranksys and spaghetti.

At lunchtime glazed ham will be served alongside new potatoes, beans, kumara, stuffing and ika mata (raw fish).

The Kiwi classic pavlova will be the midday dessert.

Sticking with tradition, dinner will be a boil-up with potatoes, pumpkin, watercress and dumplings.

The sweet treat to end the day will be peaches and icecream.

General view of central courtyard of the youth justice facility near Rotorua. Photo / File

Activities

Christmas is a synonym for gifts to many and rangatahi will all have something to open, from the justice service as well as from their families.

Betchetti said the boys would not be allowed to leave the site without court approval but staff tried to get as many whānau to visit as possible on the day.

There will also be Christmas games, a movie screening and swimming.

According to Metservice, Rotorua will reach up to 20C with a chance of a few showers in the afternoon which meant there was perfect weather for all activities planned.

The usual staff would be rostered on the day.

No images could be supplied of the decorations or gift hampers for security and identity reasons.

Te Maioha o Parekarangi aims to provide a safe, secure and supportive environment where young people can get their lives back on track.

This includes access to programmes and services to help with their rehabilitation.