NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Kahu

More reading and writing, less bleeding and fighting and watch prisons empty

By Ngahiwi Tomoana
Hawkes Bay Today·
25 Mar, 2018 07:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Ngahiwi Tomoana, chairman of Ngati Kahungunu Incorporated

Ngahiwi Tomoana, chairman of Ngati Kahungunu Incorporated

The previous National Government and the current Labour one are still intent on building a $1 billion prison at Waikeria to lock more of our people away.

No one has asked us but we absolutely disagree. The then Prime Minister, Bill English, said it was unethical and uneconomic.

Minister Kelvin Davis is having equal misgivings. But here we are faced with the prospect of being the second most incarcerated people in the world, Māori that is, and the irony of it is that previous to Pakeha arriving here 250 or so years ago, Māori had no prisons at all.

I suggest that since European blood has infiltrated our Māori blood, it's this side of us that contains the criminal element, not the Māori blood.

25 years ago when the Hawke's Bay Prison was built at Mangaroa, our leaders at the time asked the Government how much it was costing to build and when given the answer they suggested that 50 per cent of that amount be given to Ngāti Kahungunu to keep our people out through teaching te reo, greater numeracy and literacy and greater focused education outcomes for Māori.

This wasn't heeded of course and now we have 50 per cent of the prison population being Māori males and 68 per cent of the female prison population being Māori.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I sit on the Police Commissioners Panel and in the report called "Turning of the Tide" it was revealed that Māori are six times more likely to get apprehended than non-Māori for the same incident, are six times more likely to get convicted and six times more likely to receive a more severe sentence.

In essence, the justice system from apprehension to arrest, conviction and sentencing was inherently racist.

And that is what our politicians are wringing their hands over because "justice" not fairness is out the front in political sound bites at every election by every political party and political lobby group.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As revealed in the Turning of the Tide Report, the main crime of all offenders is illiteracy and innumeracy which is the inability to read or write and comprehend consequences against actions. Here is the Ngāti Kahungunu solution.

We have just invested in Animated Research Limited, an Information Technology company headed by Ian Taylor from Raupunga, that specialises in sports graphics such as the America's Cup, Golf, Cricket, Volvo Racing around the world through its animations. They have also created a virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) model for numeracy and literacy which, alongside the Methodist Mission, has been trialled in Otago Prison resulting in 100 per cent success rate.

This product takes the inmate to workplaces where they learn to read and write based on recognition of tools, engineering and mechanical components and the application of tools to the situation. For example, inmates are not allowed to use screwdrivers, spanners, allen keys and so on in training, but in virtual reality they can apply these tools to the engine parts, learn the names and numbers and the components to then translate that into writing and arithmetic.

Corrections and justice staff have already witnessed the successful programme and for Ngāti Kahungunu this is the alternative to building a $1b prison as it takes inmates out of prison into trades and vocations unavailable to them prior to their offending. We have been canvassing Corrections regionally and nationally to bring this programme to the Hawke's Bay Prison and then into all prisons.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

Ombudsman slams Corrections over double-bunking

22 Mar 03:32 AM

Further to that, if this programme could be adapted to meet the needs of pre-school and junior school flowing through to High School students, then this would revolutionise the whole social mobility into a positive contributor of momentum. Our education system has failed and continues to fail society, particularly Māori, who would be potentially housed in a new billion-dollar prison.

Ngāti Kahungunu says more numeracy, more literacy – less hypocrisy and duplicity. We possess the tools for the future with our partners ARL and the Methodist Mission.

We invite minister Kelvin Davis and his colleagues to meet with us to discuss one of the most positive social upheavals we could imagine. More reading and writing, less bleeding and fighting. We don't need any more prisons. Our goal is to empty them out.

*Ngahiwi Tomoana is Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated chairman

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Kahu

Property

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei wins Environment Court appeal for recognition

07 Jul 05:00 AM
Kahu

'Real and unequal': MP's death highlights kidney disease crisis among Māori

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Property

'Special ceiling': sun and moon art adorn new Auckland train station

03 Jul 03:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Kahu

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei wins Environment Court appeal for recognition

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei wins Environment Court appeal for recognition

07 Jul 05:00 AM

Iwi's relationship with the land, water around Westhaven has been recognised by the court.

'Real and unequal': MP's death highlights kidney disease crisis among Māori

'Real and unequal': MP's death highlights kidney disease crisis among Māori

04 Jul 05:00 PM
'Special ceiling': sun and moon art adorn new Auckland train station

'Special ceiling': sun and moon art adorn new Auckland train station

03 Jul 03:00 AM
Singapore firm partners with iwi, transforming game design with $1m investment

Singapore firm partners with iwi, transforming game design with $1m investment

02 Jul 03:37 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP