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Māori Focus Forum

The Commissioner has convened a Māori Focus Forum with Māori leaders to promote initiatives aimed at reducing Māori representation in the criminal justice sector and improving Police relationships with Māori. Forum members are: Dr Pita Sharples, Kara Puketapu, Arihia Stirling, Tui Adams, Mita Mohi, Rev Maurice Gray, Wiremu Wiremu, and Apirana Mahuika.

Treaty Commitment

"Ki ōku whakaaro ake mo te Tiriti o Waitangi, he taonga tapu, he mea taki te moko nō o ratou kiri"

[An extract from an address by Sir James Henare to the Rnanga Waitangi, at a national hui to discuss the Treaty, held at Ngaruawahia in 1984.  He emphasised that by signing with symbols from their own personal facial tattoos, the Māori signatories recognised the Treaty as sacred.]

The Police view is that the Treaty of Waitangi is a relevant and significant consideration, and that it must properly consider the application of Treaty principles to the business of Policing in a way that embraces all Māori:

Under Article One:

• Improve Police & Māori capability to address Māori issues, as a requirement of 'Good Government';
• Contribute to the building of community capability, through the development of a partnership with Māori.

Under Article Two:

• recognise and acknowledge local iwi and hap and the requirement to consult with tangata whenua, particularly on matters of property rights, user rights and development rights, and natural resources and assets in the current ownership of the Crown.
   

Under Article Three:

• develop partnership and consultation strategies which focus on all Māori, their special characteristics and needs, particularly in relation to the reduction of offending, re-offending, victimisation and road trauma. Develop policies and services which recognise the diverse Māori social and cultural reality.
• Integrate both Treaty principles and Māori values and principles into strategies which reduce Māori over-represent as offenders or victims.

Iwi Liaison Officers

Iwi Liaison Officers operate at a community level and concentrate on improving Police/Māori relationships.

Training in Māori Culture and Protocol

All Police staff, particularly frontline staff are trained to ensure that they understand Māori culture and protocol.

Recruiting Māori

Police actively seek to recruit more Māori in to the Police and to enhance the role of Māori in policy development.

Community Approach

Police have developed action plans to make the goal of improving relationships with Māori, particularly youth, a reality. These plans include maintaining a network of support for each Police district and close consultation with local iwi.

Community Oriented Policing (COP)

This strategy is about managing crime at a local level with the community actively involved through groups such as Safer Community Councils and Strengthening Families networks.

Strengthening Families

Police play a pivotal role in this initiative in which government agencies, non-government agencies and families work together to improve outcomes for families. The emphasis is very much on local solutions for local problems though prevention, intervention and support.

Youth at Risk, Family Violence and Crime Prevention Initiatives

Police are working more effectively with iwi on youth at risk, family violence and crime prevention initiatives as knowledge of Māori issues improve.

Māori Youth Education Programmes

These are new programmes with a focus on crime prevention and youth education, particularly through community-based solutions and inter-agency support.

Youth Strategy Group

This group is made up of representatives from a range of health, education, welfare and justice organizations. The group works to identify "at risk" factors and their underlying causes and to improve management of the contact of young people with the criminal justice system.

Youth at Risk

Identifies and targets children and families at risk using a co-ordinated approach and in some cases, mentoring using adult volunteers.

Inter-agency Approach

New Zealand Police is committed to the wider government initiative to strengthen families, to intervene to break cycles of disadvantage and to improve Māori social outcomes through inter-agency co-ordination.

Safer Community Councils and Māori Wardens

Police work closely with Safer Community Councils and Māori Wardens, especially in the areas of youth suicide prevention, applying the national drug policy and working to improve road safety.

Further Resources

Further information about police attitudes towards Māori, Māori attitudes towards Police and other research reports are available in the Resources section of our website.

For further information, contact Superintendent Wally Haumaha