Rangatahi with parents in prison are 'silent victims'
Rangitahi whose parent, or parents, have been locked away in prison say more needs to be done to ensure they're not punished for the crimes of their mothers or fathers. They've formed a youth advisory panel which today met with Children's Minister Karen Chhour on the steps of Parliament. They handed her an open letter calling for the establishment of a whanau navigator role in criminal district courts to help those left behind when someone's sent to jail. Louise Ternouth reports.
Tags:
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Rugby union postpones all club games this weekend after fresh referee abuse
Photo: Unsplash / Davide Buttani Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is postponing all club games this weekend due to ongoing referees abuse, according to social media post. It said on 21 June a referee officiating a college rugby match between its college team and a visiting school side "was subjected to serious verbal abuse and physical intimidation. Abuse was directed at the referee throughout the match by multiple visiting individuals, culminating in a situation so concerning that members of the public felt compelled to escort the referee to his vehicle following the game, for his safety". "Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union is appalled by this behaviour and stands with our match officials. This conduct has no place in our game, at any level and will not be tolerated." The union issued a warning at the end of May that they would consider cancelling games after it said a referee was threatened with being stabbed . That statement, it said, made clear that the safety and respect of referees was non-negotiable. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the union said all rugby across the union on 28 June would be postponed, including junior, college-grade and senior matches. "This will provide time to reflect and consider what kind of rugby environment we are creating and enabling. We must take collective responsibility to protect our referees, uphold the mana of our game, and ensure that rugby remains a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved. "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Stand up and show your support for our Match Officials," chief executive Corey Kennett said. In late May Kennett had said referees were being physically threatened, some faced physical abuse and a referee had been struck with a piece of field equipment, and one referee being threatened to be stabbed. The union Board was united in its condemnation of this behaviour, chairperson John Cribb said in the Wednesday night post. "It is unacceptable and not what we expect from anyone involved in rugby. Whether you're a player, coach, parent, or supporter, you have a responsibility to uphold the values of our game. Referee abuse undermines everything we stand for and will not be tolerated. We expect better, and our referees deserve better." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
'We were the silent victim' - children with parents in prison form new panel to help kids
Pillars youth panel Ngā Rangitira Apōpō pictured with Minister for Children Karen Chhour and Chief Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad. Photo: RNZ / Lillian Hanly Rangatahi impacted by a parent in prison say more needs to be done to ensure they are not punished for the crimes of their family members. They have formed a youth advisory panel - Ngā Rangatira Mō Apōpō - which met with Children's Minister Karen Chhour on the steps of Parliament. They handed her an open letter calling for the establishment of a whānau navigator role in criminal district courts to help those left behind when someone is sent to jail. About 20,000 children are impacted by whānau incarceration in Aotearoa. Children who - while they have done nothing wrong - are nonetheless punished. Courtney is one of them. "Me and my siblings lost both of our parents in the justice system at the same time and we didn't know till my older sister got a very unfortunate call from my family's lawyers and after that, our Nana was left in charge of us four kids. "We didn't have any support, we were left in the dark, we didn't even get to call our mum or dad or see them for ages." Four children's lives turned upside down. Pillars chief executive Tuhi Leef and Youth panelist Courtney. Photo: RNZ / Louise Ternouth Courtney is part of the Ngā Rangatira Mō Apōpō youth advisory panel run by Pillars, which gathered at parliament asking the government to do more to help those like her family. She said the rangatahi felt while their parents broke the law, it was not fair they were made to suffer due to uncertainty and a lack of support. "All the stories on that panel, all our backgrounds, it's all different, but we all can agree that we were the silent victim and it was horrible not knowing what was happening. "We all have forgotten what our parents looked like or what their voices sound like because of some lack of communication, yeah, I don't want that for anyone else." The letter presented to Chhour makes the case for a whānau navigator role in criminal district courts. Whānau navigators would help families to access wrap around services, and ensure they are informed of their rights around prison visits and communication with their whānau member in detention. Minister of Children Karen Chhour gathers with rangatahi impacted by a parent in prison at parliament. Photo: RNZ / Lillian Hanly A similar 'kaiarahi' role has been established in the Family Court and Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court. The panel is being supported by the group Pillars, which helps children and whānau of prisoners. Researcher and youth advocate Corrina Thompson said it was essential a whānau navigator was in place as soon as someone entered the judicial system. "Far too often, children are largely invisible from the point of arrest, right through court proceedings, through to prison and sometimes it's not until the person arrives in prison that the fact that that person is a parent with children is even known. "That point between a first appearance in court and prison can actually be a really long time for a lot of people months, in some cases years." Thompson noted that the government's tough-on-crime approach also impacted innocent families of offenders. "There is not just here in New Zealand, but internationally very strong evidence to say that if we want to get tough on crime, we have to get strong on housing, strong on support, strong on culturally responsive intervention prevention, rehabilitation not being tough or soft on people." Rangatira Mō Apōpō youth panel gather on parliament's steps to advocate for justice reform. Photo: Supplied / Pillars If there is government support for the proposal, Pillars and the youth panel are hoping a two-year pilot can be rolled out at district courts. Chief Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad has added her support to the idea. "Children with parents and whānau who are in prison they should be supported to fulfil their full potential and have all of their rights and needs met. "This particular advocacy and idea that Ngā Rangitira Mō Apōpō has brought forth is a tangible way for us to make these children visible and I really want to see the government take it forward and implement it in action." The Ngā Rangatira Mō Apōpō panel pitched a similar idea in 2022, which they said received support in principle from the previous Labour government. As for Wednesday's proposal, Chhour said it was still early days. "I'm not going to make any commitments to supporting the changes what I'm saying is, that I've met with them I've spoken with them... and there's room to have conversations about what that could look like." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Regulatory Standards Bill: 30 hours allocated for public submissions on Act Party leader's bill
David Seymour also hit out at online campaigns denouncing the bill. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii ACT Party Leader David Seymour is defending the Regulatory Standards Bill getting only 30 hours of public submissions allocated. Te Ao Māori News has reported the Finance and Expenditure Committee made the decision to allocated a maximum of 30 hours for public submissions on the Regulatory Standards Bill. Submission on the bill closed on Monday, which has been introduced to Parliament in various forms on three separate occasions; first in 2006, then 2011 and 2021. Speaking to media, Seymour said the bill was "probably the most consulted on bill this century" given it would be the bill's fourth time through the house. But, Labour's Regulation spokesperson Duncan Webb said it was the "most rejected bill we've ever seen" and Seymour wanted to "slip it through under the radar". Seymour said the point of select committee was to get information to the committee so they could write better a bill, not a "referendum". "There's never been a bill that has had more consultation, more study, more debates, more deliberation this century than the Regulatory Standards Bill," Seymour said. "If people really believe that 30 hours is not enough time to hear all valid views about it, then I don't think they're taking it seriously." The ACT leader also hit out at online campaigns denouncing the bill and providing guides on how to make a submission - particularly from Greenpeace. "Let's be honest, most of these people who have submitted have gone and clicked on a series of false statements put out by the likes of Greenpeace, and that's all they've done," Seymour said. "These are not people that have read the bill or have something to say about it. So, if the idea is that because basically, Greenpeace ran an email recruitment campaign, there should be more listening, I don't think that's true." In response, Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop said Seymour comments were a "pathetic attempt" to "delegitimise" opposition to the bill. "Seymour has gone from calling people bots to smearing academics , and now he's trying to sideline people who have turned to trusted civil society organisations like Greenpeace to assist them in having their voices heard," Toop said. Toop said it was a "travesty" that there would only be 30 hours for people to be heard in by Select Committee and the bill would insert "far-right ideology" into the law making process. "Everyone deserves to have their voices heard on this bill, whether they had help with their submission or not," Toop said. Opponents could be summed up as "never have so many, been riled up, by so few, over so little substance," Seymour said. "I don't believe there's ever been a bill in this Parliament where every single written submission has been heard. A lot of people make written submissions and they ask not to be heard. That's normal." Seymour said. Duncan Webb. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Labour's Duncan Webb said the bill had so far been "rejected every time" and Seymour did not want the bill to go through a full process. "He wants to slip it through under the radar. It's ridiculous. He's got a truncated select committee process. It should be heard fully. There are thousands of people who want to be heard," Webb said. "I like to think we live in a democracy where we give as many people as much voice as we can." Webb said there would be too many submission to go through the process "indefinitely" but 30 hours was "derisory" and "insulting". "It's undermining of people having a decent voice." Asked how long public submission should go for, Webb said 100 hours for the Fast Track Bill and 80 for the Treaty Principles Bill was an "indication". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
