April 11, 2017
Crown told to get real on Maori reoffending
The Waitangi Tribunal has told Corrections it should work with Maori partners on ways to reduce Maori reoffending rates.
In a report released today on a claim by retired probation officer Tom Hemopo, it found the crown in breach of its treaty obligations by failing to prioritise the reduction of the high rate of Maori reoffending relative to non-Maori.
The Tu Mai te Rangi! report says the disparity is longstanding and substantial and contributes to Maori accounting for half of New Zealand’s prisoners, despite being only 15 per cent of the national population.
The most recent statistics on efforts to reduce the overall rate of reoffending by 25 per cent show Maori progress toward this target has slowed dramatically.
In February the justice sector announced a broad target to reduce Maori reoffending, but the tribunal says Corrections has no specific plan or strategy to reduce Maori reoffending rates, no specific target, and no specific budget to meet this end.
It therefore concluded the Crown is not prioritising the reduction of the rate of Maori reoffending and is in breach of its treaty obligations to protect Maori interests and to treat Maori equitably.
Corrections is making good faith attempts to engage with iwi and hapu, but it needs to go further and work with those partners to design and implement a new Maori-specific strategic framework, set and commit to a Maori-specific target, and put in the money needed to make it work.
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