October 25, 2018
Workman symposium opens eyes
Justice reform advocate Kim Workman says after 30 years of sounding off, the conditions may be right for change.
Victroria University of Wellington this week hosted a symposium discussing aspects of his work, bringing together people who have been working in and studying restorative justice and Māori justice.
He says the organisers have been careful to keep the issues separate, as they are not necessarily the same thing.
There are also differences in how Māori see justice as a way to restore the health of the community, while Pākehā focus more on individual actions and consequences.
He says a presentation from University of Auckland Professor Tracey Macintosh from Ngāi Tūhoe was eye-opening for many Pākehā restorative justice facilitators.
"They didn't appreciate for example the power of whakapapa and knowing who you were and who your tūpuna were and their stories and how that could be effectively used in the restorative process. Most Pākehā don't think like that," Mr Workman says.
He says the aim is to honour both systems without trying to co-opt tikanga Māori into the Pākehā western adversarial system.
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