Iwi panels now a judicial fixture

Police and iwi plan to make precharge iwi panels a permanent fixture in an effort to to reduce reoffending and encourage restorative justice.

Community Panels began as a pilot scheme in Christchurch in 2010, and were extended to become iwi-community panels in Hutt Valley, Gisborne and Manukau, in South Auckland.

During the past six months, they have been further extended and now operate in Gisborne, Hutt Valley, Hamilton, Rotorua, Auckland city and Invercargill. Low-level crimes

Police Minister Stuart Nash said the panels, which brought together offenders who had committed low-level crimes – like shoplifting or careless driving – with their wha¯ nau, victims, and community members, were working well.

Nash planned to make the panels a permanent thing, and to hopefully roll them out across all police districts.

The panels are a pre-charge initiative, where those involved worked together to address the harm caused, to develop a plan that addressed factors related to the offending, and to get the offender’s life on a more positive path.

They were aimed at both Ma¯ ori and non-ma¯ ori adults.

Joint effort

The panels were a joint effort between police, justice sector agencies, community workers and Ma¯ ori leaders.

The widening of the initiative, and plans for its permanent implementation, fits with the Government’s plan to reduce the prison muster by 30 per cent in the next 15 years.

It was also an effort to continue to improve Crown-ma¯ ori relations and work together towards reducing the rates of offending and imprisonment for Ma¯ ori.

‘‘The Crown, community and iwi leaders such as Norm Dewes, Dr Kara Puketapu and particularly Kingi Tu¯ heitia believe this initiative has a permanent part to play in efforts to reduce reoffending and encourage restorative justice,’’ Nash said.

On Tuesday, the panels were renamed Te Pae Oranga, which signifies resolution and facilitation, and the importance of supporting the wellbeing of the individual, their whanau, and victims.

The new name symbolised a permanence for this Crown-ma¯ ori justice initiative, Nash said. Carved pou

Nash and Kingi Tu¯ heitia also unveiled a carved pou at Parliament on Tuesday night, to symbolise the combined efforts of those who worked together on the panels.

‘‘We have had some real successes with these panels, which hold people to account for their offending, work together to repair the damage caused and support the individual in making better decisions for an improved future,’’ Nash said.

‘‘They are having a significant and positive impact on our communities and the lives of both offenders and victims.

Better outcomes

‘‘We want better long-term outcomes for those who come to the attention of the justice system for relatively minor crimes, and also for the victims of this offending...

‘‘If we want to truly address crime levels in New Zealand, we need to look at what else is happening in these people’s lives,’’ Nash said.

The panels were also a costsaving measure, as they reduced the number of cases going through the courts, the amount of time police spent dealing with low-level reoffending and the number of days people were held in prison.