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The national manager for Restorative Justice Aotearoa says a change requiring all courts to offer the service is worth a few teething problems.
Some courts are having to delay cases because people must be given access to restorative justice services where appropriate.
Mike Hinton says the benefits of restorative justice in reducing crime and recidivism are now better understood within the system, and the courts are now trying to make it available to all.
He says that may cause some initial delays but the long term aim is a fundamental change in how hurt and harm in crime is dealt with.
"I think when we talk about the fence at the top or the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, I think we need to have a change and that is how do we deal with people who have been hurt by crime, how do we give them the best opportunity to move forward, to heal, and at the same time while providing that opportunity to interact with the offender, the provides the offender the opportunity to change," Mr Hinton says.
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