Young people stuck on a path of criminal offending and court appearances are having their lives turned around by a dedicated man who uses Tauranga's backyard as their stage for transformation.
Rangi Ahipene is now in his sixth year running the Supported Bail programme, targeting youths prone to breaching bail and reoffending.
The programme is growing with 80 to 90 per cent of Tauranga participants in the past two years sticking to their bail conditions and not reoffending during the period of the programme.
The July 2013 to June 2014 year saw 17 of 19 referrals complete the programme successfully and five of six since July 2014.
Mr Ahipene focused on teaching practical skills such as fishing, hunting, outdoor survival skills, art, and Taha Maori (Maori culture).
He said the main focus was to engage the teens in exciting activities and keep them busy during their most "at risk" time until their next court appearance, anywhere from one week to six weeks.
"They've got a lot of time on their hands, hanging out with young people in a similar situation to them which is really a breeding ground for petty crime," Mr Ahipene said.
"The programme is designed around the young person's interests because they've got to be interested ... not just doing it because the court said."
The success of the programme came down to empowering the young people, connecting them to people they saw as heroes and inspiring their futures, he said.
"A lot of these kids don't have positive male role-models. They don't know what positive male behaviour looks like.
"A lot of young people are looking to find their identity, or to feel part of something bigger."
One boy who was heading for a life of crime had found a passion for fishing during his 18 months in the programme and follow-up mentoring and had turned his life around, completing a maritime course at Bay of Plenty Polytech.
"This kid's got a future now," Mr Ahipene said.
He believed after years of developing the programme it had reached a point where it was completely turning around young lives.
"We've just got to a point where it's really starting to hum.
"On a human level it is very rewarding but it can also be very challenging ...
"Given all the odds it's even more rewarding when you overcome them."
However, the job was bittersweet, he said.
"We would prefer not to be busy.
"If we're busy it shows something is going on out there with our youth."