A tikanga Maori programme based in Waitakere is helping many West Auckland and North Shore offenders get back on track.
Te Hou o Rewa Wananga Lore Kaupapa uses the positive practices of tikanga to help participants ‘restore, rejuvenate and realign’ their lives.
The programme, which encourages individualism as well as whanau support to bring about greater wellbeing, is run and facilitated by Jo Delamere, Te Awhimate Tawhai and Ezard Tamaki, who are driven by the great results the course has produced since its inception.
“Most of the CPPS referrals have lost their sense of identity and we want to help them to identify with kaupapa Maori ,” says Jo.
“Much of the time people offend and re-offend because they don’t take pride in themselves and what they can potentially do.” The course was developed by Jo’s husband, Hohepa Delamere, who has now passed away, but his legacy lives on through Te Hou o Rewa Wananga Lore Kaupapa.
All six facilitators involved in providing workshops during the five-day programmes have been taught by Hohepa and they all work towards keeping his dream alive.
“It drives me and the other facilitators when we see the profound positive effect our course has on the participants and the wider family and community, which is the reason my husband started it in the first place,” says Jo.
Since 2005 the Delamere whanau has run 14 tikanga programmes at various marae throughout the Auckland region. The most recent one at Rewiti Marae near Helensville saw nine offenders graduate from the course.
The course has evolved from a five-week programme meeting three times weekly to become a five-day noho marae that runs from Wednesday to Sunday – ensuring a weekend without access to alcohol and drugs.
Each workshop has a different Maori aspect. These include Te Reo Maori, learning one’s whakapapa, education in drug and alcohol, physical and nutritional needs and learning Maori arts like waiata, kapa haka and whakairo.
All classes are delivered by qualified tutors, who each visit the marae taking the offenders through these specific disciplines over the five days.
“For many this is a life-changing experience. We’ve had a couple who’ve enrolled in university and many actually go back to their marae and even join kapa haka groups,” says Jo.
At the end of the course, in front of friends and whanau, participants graduate with a certificate and a pounamu taonga which they can call their own. Senior Community Work Supervisor Taniora William Nicholls sees a noticeable difference in the offenders from the start to the finish.
“They stand taller, are more confident and take pride in themselves, and we definitely don’t see as much of them after they’ve been through the course,” says Taniora. 
CPPS staff from the North Shore and Waitemata recommend the course for offenders who have a real interest in learning things Maori. The majority who take part are Maori men who want to identify with their heritage, but the programme has also catered for Maori women, and people of other ethnicities.
CPPS Service Manager Karl Bethell is a strong supporter of M䯲i initiatives within Corrections and says that Te Hou o Rewa Wananga Lore Kaupapa is run professionally and is a great way for offenders to develop a sense of identity.
Te Hou o Rewa Wananga Lore Kaupapa programme provider, Jo Delamere with Senior Community Work Supervisor Taniora William Nicholls.