Whanake Rangatahi: programmes and services to address Māori youth offending

Victoria Owen

Young Māori continue to be significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system. Government, Māori and the community all share the goal of preventing or reducing Māori youth offending and re-offending. Government has put in place a range of programmes and services to this end.

This paper reports on a study, Whanake Rangatahi – Programmes and Services to Address Māori Youth Offending, assessing Māori participation in programmes and services directed at youth offending and the outcomes. The paper highlights implications for government policy, programme specification and purchasing, research and evaluation.

It concludes that government needs to work with Māori to build on successful models and develop a range of programmes and services that address the causes of offending for young people. Government also needs to improve its information collection so that we know whether interventions are working for Māori.