Youth justice watchdogs looking to assess Government’s boot camp pilot

Youth justice residence Te Au rere a te Tonga in Palmerston North hosts the military-style boot camp pilot. Photo / RNZ

Agencies charged with monitoring New Zealand youth justice are planning a potential visit to the Government’s controversial boot camp pilot.

The Independent Children’s Monitor, Mana Mokopuna/Children and Young People’s Commission and the office of Ombudsman Peter Boshier are in the process of organising an informal visit to Palmerston North’s youth justice facility, Te Au rere a te Tonga, to hear from the 10 teens and staff involved in the pilot.

All three entities were given an open invitation by Oranga Tamariki, which ran the pilot, and Children’s Minister Karen Chhour to check up on its progress during its three-month in-residence phase before a nine-month period in the community.

A statement from Boshier’s office said it had received an invitation for the visit alongside the commission and the Independent Children’s Monitor (ICM), but details hadn’t yet been confirmed.

ICM chief monitor Nova Banaghan said ICM had assessed the Palmerston North facility late last year and was conscious of the disruption another visit could lead to.

“I’m very mindful of the need for the young people at Te Au rere a te Tonga to be in a settled environment and the disruption that multiple visits could cause,” she said in a statement.

“For the monitor, any visit will be informal. Our focus will be on understanding how the programme is being run, introducing ourselves to the young people and the staff supporting them, and hearing about their experience to date.”

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is involved in the planning of a potential visit. Photo / NZME

The commission conducted an official assessment of Te Au rere a te Tonga in June and its report was due next month.

Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad, of Mana Mokopuna, told the Herald she hoped a visit could be secured but echoed Banaghan’s caution.

“We don’t want to be disruptive to that programme, we will continue to explore whether a visit is possible,” she said.

Achmad was keenly interested in the pilot, given her role as an advocate for children and the lack of evidence supporting military-style approaches to youth justice.

The boot camp pilot has come under intense scrutiny as opponents pointed to previous iterations having little impact on reoffending levels.

The 12-month initiative formed part of the coalition Government’s efforts to reduce youth crime. Over the last decade, youth crime had decreased but in recent years, offences like ram raids and aggravated robberies – also known as smash and grabs – had become more frequent.

The previous Labour Government said there were about 80 recidivist young offenders it was aiming to address. The same group would be targeted through the boot camp programme.

Achmad received periodic updates from Oranga Tamariki and Chhour about the pilot’s progress.

Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad says reports from the pilot sound positive. Photo / Mark Mitchell

While she still held concerns about the military-style approach, Achmad said: “It’s sounding positive.

“I will continue to ask questions to understand what is the actual experience of these young people.”

Sunburn and a cut finger: Incidents reportedly rare at boot camp pilot

Chhour, as the minister responsible for the pilot, said she was “really encouraged” by reports from Oranga Tamariki so far as the conclusion of the in-residence phase neared.

The 10 participants would remain in the facility until October 20 before commencing nine months of community-based rehabilitation and training.

Incidents had been rare, according to Chhour and Oranga Tamariki. Chhour said one teen left the pilot in its second week for personal reasons but was replaced by another the following week.

A recent parliamentary question from Labour MP Duncan Webb found only one injury had been reported: a small cut to a finger that didn’t require treatment.

A statement from Oranga Tamariki also noted there was “some sunburn after an offsite on a warm day”.

“Beyond this, there has been [sic] no other concerns raised by participants.”

The pilot has been adapted following feedback from the teens as part of Oranga Tamariki’s ongoing weekly reviews. Staff had factored in more physical activity and had introduced breaks between meeting sessions.

Next week, the boys would receive training to help gain a driver’s licence. Money management was also being taught.

Children's Minister Karen Chhour is encouraged by the pilot so far. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The teens were growing vegetables in on-site gardens. They were also building wooden toy kitchens that would be donated to local schools.

Activities reflecting the military-style approach included drills and marching, according to an Oranga Tamariki briefing to Chhour.

Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive Tusha Penny said the agency had been evaluating the pilot from its outset and would be collaborating with an “external provider” to evaluate it through to the end of the community stage.

Chhour, who would be visiting the facility at the end of the month, was encouraged by the current progress.

“It’s up to these boys to take hold of those opportunities and run with it, but from the attitudes I’ve seen from these young people, they really are trying and that gives me a lot of hope.”

Minister defends public release of alleged assault information

Late in the afternoon on Friday, September 6, Chhour published a media release revealing police had been involved in an alleged assault at a youth justice facility which concerned a “small number of staff and young people and resulted in one minor injury”.

The incident, which did not take place at the Palmerston North facility where the pilot was held, occurred a week before Chhour released her statement.

Chhour maintained she made the alleged assault public “as soon as I could”, citing “processes” that would have made it inappropriate to talk about it any earlier.

She said she was committed to “transparency” concerning such incidents.

Penny, of Oranga Tamariki, confirmed an incident took place on August 29 but did not disclose where it occurred, citing “privacy reasons”.

“This incident was identified through our new operating processes, which meant that the incident was reviewed by senior leaders within hours and police notified,” she said.

“We take an incident of this nature extremely seriously and can confirm all appropriate steps were taken to ensure the safety of young people in this residence.”

Penny didn’t comment further while police were investigating.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.