By RNZ
Seven teenagers have been charged with intentional damage after climbing on to the roof of a South Auckland youth justice facility on Monday night.
One of the group had been charged with injuring another person with intent, police said.
They were part of a group of 13 teenagers who got on to the roof at Oranga Tamariki’s Wiri facility.
They claimed they were protesting because they were not let outside, and said they had not been fed.
Earlier, Oranga Tamariki said the youths were “hungry” and “tired” following the incident but would be held criminally accountable for damage caused.
Officials hope a full investigation will uncover the trigger for the incident, which saw the group tearing the roof of the Korowai Manaaki facility apart, ripping out insulation and wood.
An RNZ reporter at the scene said two youths also appeared to have climbed through a hole made in one of the buildings before re-emerging.
Nine of the group were coaxed down overnight and early on Tuesday morning, with the remaining four coming down shortly before 11am. All have since been taken into secure care, or off-site by police.
Further charges could still be laid, police said.
No one was harmed, though one of the youths sustained a minor injury when he got on to the roof.
“They are teenagers, they are cold, they are hungry, they are tired,” Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive youth justice services and residential care Iain Chapman said after the resolution of the incident.
“But at the moment... they are facing the consequences of their actions and they are being dealt with by police.”
Chapman denied staff shortages were a contributing factor, saying the facility had a “full complement” of staff on shift Monday evening.
“The staff who work here love this place,” he said. “When things like this happen, they dig in.”
Despite initial reports suggesting the youths were demanding Big Mac combos from McDonald’s, cigarettes and a getaway car, Chapman said the group “made no requests or demands to our staff on site”.
“At no stage were any demands made, nor did we give them anything in relation to any demands.”
Minister for Children Karen Chhour said any demands would not have been met “as this wasn’t a negotiation”.
“There is no excuse for this totally unacceptable behaviour and there will be consequences for their actions.”
“We do find when there are disorder events – as any parent will tell you – there is often a trigger,” Chapman said, adding that will form part of the debrief into the incident.
“Whilst it is disappointing that this occurred, we can confirm at no point was there any concern for public safety,” Chapman said. It is understood the youths never made it outside the residence perimeter.
“The standard operating procedure we have in place for such incidents was initiated immediately, to ensure the young people were not able to get any further than the roof within the confines of the facility.”
“We are absolutely not going to accept this kind of behaviour,” Chhour said. “Criminal liability will happen for the damage that’s been done.”
The dynamics at the facility could be “quick to change”, Chhour said as she praised the “co-ordinated” approach to resolving the incident, which involved Corrections, police, Oranga Tamariki, Health NZ and an offer from Fire and Emergency NZ to help if needed.
It was that co-ordinated approach, she said, that “managed to get this situation dealt with swiftly and quickly”.
“These young people are here at Korowai Manaaki because they have committed serious crimes,” Chapman said.
“They have caused damage to parts of our facilities, and they will be held criminally accountable.”
Chhour said a contractor had performed an initial assessment and the damage had been deemed “minimal”.
“They’re not coming down for KFC,” Luxon said.
“These are some of the most serious and hardcore young offenders.”
Work was under way to determine how this incident was able to happen and what can be done to prevent any repeat, Chhour said.
It’s not the first time young people have climbed on to the roof of Korowai Manaaki, a similar incident in July 2023 was blamed on staff shortages.
A damning report in July found staff at the facility were smuggling in contraband, roughing up children, and silencing any informants.
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