13-year-old sex offender may be sent to ChCh

A 13-year-old boy facing three charges of unlawful sexual connection may be sent to New Zealand's only secure unit for young sex offenders.

Masterton Youth Court heard, on Thursday, enquiries were being made about whether the Wairarapa boy would be accepted into the Te Poutama Arahi Rangatahi residential programme, in Christchurch.

Youth sent to Te Poutama are 12 to 17 years old and are under the custody of Child Youth and Family.

They usually stay at Te Poutama for between 18 to 24 months.

Crown prosecutor Geraldine Kelly said the Crown wanted to prevent further offending, protect the community and rehabilitate the boy.

"It's not a case of trying to punish this man ... it's trying to prevent him later being in the judicial system in a very bad way. It appears he's on a very bad track at the moment," Ms Kelly said.

Judge Tony Walsh said the boy required at least two years of help and said there were also significant concerns for his mental health.

He said the court's primary concern was on getting the boy the best support and assistance possible.

"There is a proposition about him being admitted to Te Poutama, enquiries are being made to ascertain whether [he] will be accepted on the Te Poutama programme."

Judge Walsh remanded the boy on bail, with a condition not to have unsupervised contact with any child under 16.

All information which could lead to the boy's identification is suppressed.