A first-of-its-kind initiative at the Manukau District Court is putting the wellbeing of tamariki and whānau at the centre of what happens when a parent faces imprisonment.
Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou CEO Tuhi Leef says the organisation’s new Kaiwhatu Kura Whānau pilot has been designed to support children and families affected by parental imprisonment and help interrupt cycles of intergenerational harm.
The initiative recognises a reality often hidden behind sentencing and imprisonment — when a parent goes to prison, the consequences can extend well beyond the person being sentenced.
TAMARIKI CARRY CONSEQUENCES TOO
For children, parental imprisonment can bring sudden disruption to everyday life.
Whānau may have to deal with changes in caregiving arrangements, housing, income, schooling and relationships, alongside the emotional impact of losing the day-to-day presence of a parent.
Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou has long focused on children and whānau affected by imprisonment, and the Manukau pilot brings that support closer to the point where the justice system and whānau intersect.
Rather than waiting until families are already struggling with the consequences of imprisonment, the initiative is intended to identify and support affected whānau through the court environment.
BREAKING INTERGENERATIONAL HARM
Leef says the kaupapa is ultimately about breaking cycles of intergenerational harm.
That means recognising tamariki as people with their own needs rather than treating them simply as an extension of the person appearing before the court.
The consequences of parental imprisonment can continue long after sentencing, particularly where families are already experiencing financial pressure, unstable housing or other challenges.
Early and appropriate support provides an opportunity to reduce that disruption and strengthen the whānau around the child.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH AT MANUKAU
The Kaiwhatu Kura Whānau pilot represents a shift towards looking at the wider consequences of imprisonment as they happen.
Its location at Manukau District Court is significant, bringing the service into an environment where families can be confronted with major and sometimes immediate changes to their circumstances.
The approach does not remove accountability for offending.
Instead, it asks another question alongside it — what happens to the tamariki when their parent goes to prison?
That distinction matters because children are not responsible for the actions that bring a parent before the courts, yet they can carry some of the longest-lasting consequences.
A KAUPAPA WITH PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE FOR MĀORI
The initiative also has particular relevance for whānau Māori given the impact imprisonment can have across generations.
Supporting tamariki means considering the wider whānau around them, strengthening connections and ensuring children do not become invisible as adults navigate the justice system.
For Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou, intervention at this point creates an opportunity to help families navigate what can be an enormously difficult transition while protecting the wellbeing and future of their tamariki.
FROM PUNISHMENT TO PREVENTION
The Manukau pilot could also provide lessons for the wider justice system.
If early support can reduce the harm experienced by children, strengthen whānau and help prevent another generation becoming caught in cycles of disadvantage, the benefits extend beyond an individual court case.
It turns the conversation from simply responding to imprisonment towards preventing its consequences from being passed from one generation to another.
A parent may receive the sentence — but their tamariki should not have to serve one alongside them.
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