Police work collaboratively with Iwi and communities as well as government agencies to make positive and lasting differences for tamariki, rangatahi, and their whānau.
The Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, launched in August 2019, sets out a shared understanding of what is important to children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand. As part of delivering the outcomes of this Strategy, children’s agencies, including Police, have committed to the first Oranga Tamariki Action Plan (published 8 July 2022).
Early intervention can steer young people’s life course away from the criminal justice system and prevent reoffending. As part of implementing the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan, Police will:
- Improve Police information sharing systems and processes, to ensure rangatahi (youth) who Police work with, are proactively connected to wellbeing supports they may need, before behaviour develops into potential offending.
- Pilot Te Pae Oranga Rangatahi panels for young people and their whānau to inform the future model and ensure it meets the needs of our youth. By 2024/25 the aim is to have 12 Te Pae Oranga rangatahi panels in place for young people and their whānau focused in communities and areas in greatest need.
Te Pae Oranga Iwi Community Panels are a partnership between Police and Iwi/Māori partners to address harm from low-level offending and to prevent reoffending. At the heart of Te Pae Oranga is the underlying concept of whakamana: uplifting people, rebuilding mana – which supports harm reduction not only for the participant, their whānau, and the victim, but also for the wider community.
Learn more about the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan