12 September 2024
C184706
Reece Sullivan
[FYI request #27663 email]
Tēnā koe Reece,
Thank you for your email of 17 July 2024 to the Department of Corrections – Ara Poutama
Aotearoa, requesting information about programmes offered to prisoners that have a Māori
or Tikanga Māori focus. Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act
1982 (OIA).
Corrections is focused on reducing re-offending, keeping our communities safe, and giving
those we manage every opportunity to turn their lives around. A range of programmes and
services are offered both in prison and in the community, and careful planning is
undertaken to provide people with the right intervention at the right time. These
programmes and services help people break the cycle of their offending.
As you may be aware, Māori make up 53 percent of the total prison population. The
overrepresentation of women in prison who identify as Māori is especially high, and
currently sits at approximately 67% of the women’s population. Corrections is committed to
delivering improved outcomes with and for Māori, to reduce reoffending and address the
overrepresentation of Māori in the corrections system. Through our organisational strategy,
Hōkai Rangi, we have established a number of initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for
Māori in the corrections system, including providing programmes that have a Māori or
tikanga focus. For programmes to be effective in helping people in prison change their
behaviour, they need to be relevant and address the specific needs of the individual or
group they are targeted towards. Helping people in prison understand their cultural identity
and connect with their whakapapa in one of the ways we aim to help people develop
prosocial skil s and motivate people to change their behaviour. This can also help increase a
prisoner’s motivation to successful y engage in further rehabilitation programmes,
education, training and employment, which ultimately improves their likelihood of living
crime free on release from prison.
1. I request all information about the programmes and services you fund or deliver
in prison with a specific Maori or Tikanga Maori focus.
2. What specific programmes are available that encompasses Tikanga Maori or Te
Ao Maori for offenders in prison.
NATIONAL OFFICE, WELLINGTON
Mayfair House, 44 – 52 The Terrace, Wellington, 6011, Private Box 1206, Wellington 6140,
Phone +64 4 460 3000
www.corrections.govt.nz
2
A large number of Corrections’ rehabilitation programmes seek to include Māori and/or a
tikanga Māori focused approach where appropriate. With regard to your request for “
all
information” about these programmes, please note that in accordance with section 12(2) of
the OIA, a request for official information must be made with due particularity. Your
question is very broadly framed, and it would be extremely difficult to col ate and assess for
release all information potentially in scope of this part of your request, which would likely
include thousands of documents. We do not believe that this part of your request provides
due particularity as required under the OIA.
However, Appendix One provides a list and summary on the current programmes and/or
services that are offered to people in prison that are largely influenced by a Tikanga Māori
approach. Please also note that rehabilitation programmes form only part of a person’s
offender plan. People in prison may also be provided with health services, cultural support
services, educational opportunities, vocational and employment training, wraparound
whānau support, reintegration services and transitional accommodation support. We trust
this satisfies this part of your request. If there is a specific programme or programmes you
require more information on, please let us know.
3. How much of the Corrections budget is dedicated to funding Maori specific
programmes? What percentage is that of the annual Corrections budget?
Corrections does not capture data in this way as many programmes and interventions have
kaupapa Māori elements but are not categorised as such for financial reporting purposes.
Therefore, this part of your request is refused in accordance with section 18(g) of the OIA, as
The information that you have requested does not currently exist in a form that can be
readily supplied to you and would instead require Corrections to initiate a project to extract,
analyse and present the data in the form requested. Furthermore, we have no grounds for
believing that it is held by another agency or more closely connected with functions of
another department. Please note that the Ombudsman has advised that information is not
considered to be held by an agency in instances where a request necessitates research or
analysis of source data in order to generate fresh information in a form different from that
in which the base data is held.
4. What MOUs or relationships are established between Corrections and Marae,
Hapu, Iwi or other urban Maori authorities to strengthen these programmes?
Corrections has 19 formal partnership agreements with Hapu and/or Iwi. Of these 19
agreements, nine are Manawhenua Partnership Agreements for Corrections’ 18 prison sites,
three are Social Accord (Kawenata) Partnership Agreements, two are Justice Sector
Relationship Agreements, three are Regional Cross Sector Collective Partnership
Agreements, one is a Community Manawhenua Partnership Agreement, and one is a
Kaupapa Specific Partnership Agreement.
3
Please find attached as Appendix Two, a list on Corrections’ formal partnership agreements
with Māori.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and does not encapsulate the entirety
of our relationships with Marae, Hapu, Iwi, or urban Māori authorities. Corrections has a
large number of programmes and or services where either Marae, Hapu, Iwi or other urban
Māori authorities may be involved to some extent but are not considered to be formal
relationships.
5. What specific programmes are available to Maori offenders in prison aged
between 17 and 25?
Most programmes listed in the interventions catalogue provided as Appendix One are
available to all people in prison however, the below programmes are specifical y focused on
those aged 25 and other, unless otherwise noted:
• Te Whare Hāpai Tangata, which is a rehabilitation programme specifically for those
aged 18-25 and offered to those both in prison and the community nationwide.
• The Young Adults Intervention (YAI), which is a psychology programme specifically
for those aged 18-25 and offered to those both in prison and the community
nationwide.
• The behaviour skills programme, which is available to individuals in the Manawatu
Prison Youth Unit and is offered to those 17-20 years old (or up to 25 years if
assessed as vulnerable).
• Tamaua Te Koronga, which is available to individuals in Hawkes Bay Regional Prison
Youth Unit and is offered to those 17-19 years old.
Corrections recognises that young people have unique requirements. We are committed to
ensuring that youth in prison have access to services, support and interventions that
respond to their age and stage of development. We work with young people on an
individual basis in order to best assist them in addressing responsivity barriers.
In response to your question as it relates to 17-year-olds, please note that Corrections
manages a small number of prisoners younger than 18 at any one time. Young people who
offend are usual y managed under youth justice processes, which relate to the functions of
Oranga Tamariki.
6. Please provide information regarding the number of prisoners participating in
tikanga Māori programmes in New Zealand prisons, as far back as such
programmes have been in place. Please break this information down by month
and by prison.
4
As we have advised elsewhere in our response, a large number of Corrections’ rehabilitation
programmes seek to include Māori and/or a tikanga Māori focused approach where
appropriate. Consequently, assessing and collating the number of prisoners participating in
each relevant programme in New Zealand prisons, as far back as such programmes have
been in place, would be considered substantial col ation. As such, this part of your is refused
in accordance with section 18(f) of the OIA as that the information requested cannot be
made available without substantial collation or research.
In accordance with the OIA, we have considered whether fixing a charge, extending the time
limit or asking you to refine or amend your request would enable us to provide a response.
However, given the scale of the request, we do not consider this would be an appropriate
use of our publicly funded resources.
If you require additional information on a specific programme listed or mentioned
throughout this response, please communicate so in response to this correspondence.
Please note that this response may be published on Corrections’ website. Typical y,
responses are published quarterly, or as otherwise determined. Your personal information
including name and contact details will be removed for publication.
I hope this information is helpful. I encourage you to raise any concerns about this response
with Corrections. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to also raise any concerns with
the Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box
10152, Wel ington 6143.
Ngā mihi
Dr Emma Gardner
Acting Deputy Chief Executive, Pae Ora
