The first in a Ten One series looking in depth at the four winners in the 2017 Evidence Based Problem Oriented Policing Awards
T was going nowhere – except prison.
A young Tūhoe man, he had every risk factor associated with criminality: truancy; gang associations; mental health, drug and alcohol issues in the family, and the associated harm.
Today he is drug-free and contributing to society. He has a young family and a full-time job. He has provided support for whānau and friends, helping them clean up and find work.
He has not offended in years, but recalls “a lot of violence… robberies, stealing, things like that. But that’s when Tūhoe Hauora came in and helped us out”.
The difference was Oho Ake, an alternative action partnership of Bay of Plenty Police and Tūhoe Hauora. Since 2010 it has sought to keep young Māori out of the justice system by reconnecting them with their cultural identity or tikanga, and addressing underlying causes of offending.
It is the longest-running of four iwi interventions in the Eastern Bay, where some communities have the highest levels of deprivation and risk of poor outcomes for young people.
Within Police, it has been driven by Eastern Bay of Plenty Youth and Community Services Supervisor Sergeant Tom Brooks and Iwi liaison officer Joshua Kalan.
“Police clearly own this problem,” says Tom. “Stopping children and young people entering the formal youth justice pathway should be a priority.”
Many Māori youth offenders are disconnected from the traditional framework of whānau, hapū and iwi.
Conventional responses had limited success and there was no existing tikanga-based process, although tikanga had been identified as a critical component in addressing Māori offending.
“What we needed was a response that would simultaneously address issues of cultural disconnection and mitigate the underlying factors,” says Josh.
“The values a young person is reconnected with through Oho Ake – such as aroha, manaakitanga, whānaungatanga – are totally inconsistent with criminal offending.
“It’s often said it takes a village to raise a child; what we’re doing is reconnecting the child with the village.”
With Oho Ake, Youth Aid officers gather information about an offender then consult with Tūhoe Hauora social workers. If the case is suitable, Tūhoe Hauora develops a plan to address the whānau’s needs and issues, set goals and hold the offender accountable.
“This is the beginning of a trusting relationship between Tūhoe and Police,” says Tūhoe Hauora General Manager Pania Hetet.
Police are advised of progress and consider whether the case can be closed. Tūhoe Hauora continues to work with whānau until they reach their goal of independence. Police maintain contact with victims.
“It’s not going to work for everyone but when it works, it really works,” says Tom. “There’s a ripple effect – the person who’s been helped has a positive influence on those around them.”
Oho Ake has proved its sustainability. The model has been adopted by three other Iwi social services in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and one in Taupo, and there has been interest from around the country.
Partnership is crucial, says Tom: long-term whānau-focused interventions are not Police’s job. On the Police side it requires good Youth Aid practice and a supportive culture. From the iwi it requires capability and capacity.
The benefits have been marked for subjects and their families, interrupting the progression to prison that Bay of Plenty Judge Louis Bidois has described as “a pre-ordained rite of passage for many young Māori”.
In 2013/14 Whakatane saw 119 Family Group Conferences (FGCs) involving 72 offenders; in 2016/7 there were 33, with 23 offenders. In 2010/11 there were 372 youth cases in Whakatane; by 2016/17 there were 185.
From 2010/11 to 2016/17 there were falls of 52 percent in thefts and 9 percent in burglaries – hallmark youth offending – in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
An independent review in 2014 found Oho Ake subjects did not reoffend (49 percent) or offended less. Most re-entered education or employment, substance abuse fell and trust and confidence in Police rose.
The model has influenced Government strategy, including the Youth Crime Action Plan 2013-2023, The Turning of The Tide strategy and the National Youth Policing Plan 2017-2021.
Oho Ake fits into an Eastern Bay of Plenty strategy that involves iwi partnerships at all levels - alternative action, FGCs and Te Kooti Rangatahi (Youth Court).
“In terms of reducing the prison population and keeping people out of the criminal justice system, this is where it starts,” says Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor.
“It’s not just youth, it’s a mauri ora approach making the whole family healthy.”
Oho Ake won the Supreme Award and the Award for Achieving Collective Impact at the 2017 Evidence Based Problem Oriented Policing (EBPOP) awards.
