Agents of change - our Maori Services Team

“The less Māori have to do with the Corrections system, the better.”

This is the message Māori Services Team National Manager Jon Royal wishes to take out to Māori communities.

Jon praises all the great initiatives the Department has implemented over the years to curb the numbers of Māori offenders coming back into the system.

“We have passionate staff, numerous Māori providers, volunteers and local iwi who are committed to working alongside us – but the numbers keep rising.”

Jon believes it’s time communities from where these offenders come from share this burden. He is convinced that if these communities were fully informed of the situation, they would get behind the drive to stop young people from getting into trouble.

“Corrections is merely the bucket. We have no influence over the tap turning off or on.” Jon is referring to the fact that those coming into our system are determined by the Police and courts. “But the communities – families, hapu and iwi, can play a huge role in stopping them getting to us”.

It is well documented that Māori are over-represented in the Corrections system. Over the next few years, Corrections is planning another 3,500 prison beds to cope with the projected growth in offending. 

“This has got to change. It’s why I work here.”

Through his regional teams Jon is finding there are great things happening in communities around the country – a sign that communities are concerned about the high rate of Māori offending and re-offending and are doing something about it.

“But it requires a strategy that pulls everyone together, and also spots any gaps.”  

The Māori Services Team is establishing a national database which will provide a directory of all health and social services around the country and also identify local community ‘hotspots’.        

“If offenders are released into an area where there is little support, my team, along with other parts of the organisation, will work with other agencies and the local community to get services set up.”

Jon is adamant these services should be run by the community rather than Corrections.

“Given our mandate, it is appropriate that the Department retain responsibility for the programmes and services delivered within the system. But it is also appropriate that once offenders leave, Māori take responsibility for keeping our haututu at ‘home’.

“When Māori pull together as one, the results have been hugely positive. Consider Whina Cooper’s hikoi; educational ingenuity like kohanga reo through to the whare wananga; Māori broadcasting – the list goes on.”

Jon is confident that with shared effort and ownership, the rates will come down.

“But if we just leave it to the system, I worry it will get away on us.” 

Jon is married to Maryann and they have four children and one mokopuna. Jon affiliates to Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Kahu, Ngai Tahu, and Ngati Tamatera. He was brought up around his papakainga at Waimango on the shores of Tiikapa moana.

This is the second time Jon has been with the Department.

“My working life philosophy has always been to contribute to the raised wellbeing of Maori.”