Successful but costly youth offender scheme to end

Judge Carolyn Henwood said that the youth offender programme was 'quite world-leading.' Photo / Mark Mitchell

A world-leading Hamilton youth offender programme that has achieved zero reoffending to date will be closed in June because of its cost.

Te Hurihanga, a $1.4 million facility opened in 2007 for eight of the region's worst young offenders, had the backing of Youth Court judges, Warehouse founder Sir Stephen Tindall and the late Maori Queen Te Atairangikaahu.

But Justice Minister Simon Power and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said yesterday it had cost $5 million so far, including construction costs, and only eight young people had graduated from it. An evaluation, also made public yesterday, found that none of the graduates had reoffended up to July last year.

Former Youth Court Judge Carolyn Henwood, who has spent 10 years developing the concept and lobbying governments to implement it, said the next-best success rate for any youth offender programme in the world was about 15 per cent.

"This was quite world-leading. It was unique. It's a bicultural programme. Nothing like this has ever been done before," she said.

Mr Power said the cost, at $630,000 for each of the graduates to date, was too high.

"The programme is to be replaced by a similar but more cost-effective one that will allow more young people to participate, and will more closely align to the Government's Fresh Start initiative," he said.

Ms Bennett said the facility at Hamilton's Te Ara Hou village would transfer to Child, Youth and Family Service on July 1 and tenders would be called for a new Fresh Start provider to use it.

The programme was controversial from the start. A local Hillcrest Action Group campaigned against it and felt vindicated when several of the first young residents absconded.

Youth Horizons Trust, which ran the programme on contract, employs 25 fulltime and part-time staff providing intensive therapy with each young offender and their families as well as schooling and residential services.

Trust chief executive Cath Handley said there were six young people in the residence and four in the final stage of the 18-month programme, back home with their families.