Chester returns... and he wants justice
Ex-MP’s justice group seeks public opinions
Former Whanganui MP Chester Borrows returns to his old stamping ground this week as he leads a group charged with helping reform New Zealand’s justice system.
The Government’s Safe and Effective Justice Programme Advisory Group — Te Uepu¯ Ha¯pai i te Ora — will visit Whanganui on Friday as part of its nationwide consultation on criminal justice.
It will be the seventh of 14 visits being held across the country before Christmas to hear from people who have experienced the criminal justice system, as victims of crime or those who have committed crimes, and the groups who work in or with it every day.
The advisory group is holding a public drop-in session where everyone is welcome to present their views on the criminal justice system at the Alexander Heritage & Research Library from noon to 1.30pm.
There will also be roundtable discussions in these centres with groups and others who work in and with the system.
This is a chance to make a big difference to our criminal justice system. Former Whanganui MP Chester Borrows
The group has been appointed to support the Ha¯paitia te Oranga Tangata Safe and Effective Justice Programme, which the Government has established to create a more effective criminal justice system, and a safer New Zealand.
It is chaired by Borrows, a former Minister for Courts, and nine others who have experience working in or alongside the justice system.
Members who will attend the Whanganui meetings are Borrows, Ruth Money, and Dr Jarrod Gilbert.
Borrows said the work was about informing the Government’s drive to keep all New Zealand communities safer by enhancing the criminal justice system. “This is a chance to make a big difference to our criminal justice system and we’re all looking forward to hearing what New Zealanders want and expect from it,” he said. “We’re excited about engaging independently with key stakeholders and those with lived experience to form strategic recommendations for the Government.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible and, though we won’t be able to meet with them all, we encourage anyone who wants to have their say to submit their ideas to us on the Safe and Effective Justice website.”
The group is planning to make further visits across the country early next year.