Ram raids: New holiday programme aims to give wairua back to disadvantaged Hamilton boys

Hamilton community stalwarts Graeme "Mintie" Mead (left) and Carl Haa want to be a spark of change in troubled kids' lives. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

As reports of young kids ram-raiding shops around the country increase, Hamilton community stalwarts Graeme "Mintie" Mead and Carl Haa (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) are on a mission to get some kids back on the right path.

After two years of hard work in the planning stage, the dissimilar pair have founded a new charity, Wairua, to run a special holiday programme in Hamilton for local boys aged between 11 and 13 years.

Carl says the kids in the programme are not the ram-raiders, but may be the type likely to hang out with them.

"They are one bad decision away from serious consequences," says Carl.

"We are trying to put these kids in as many situations as possible that they usually don't have access to, so they can find a passion, a purpose."

Graeme says: "We want to gauge a change in the kids whether that is in the classroom or at home."

Wairua's pilot programme just started yesterday and is running until October 14 with activities including rugby training with the Waikato Rugby Union, dragon boat racing, wood carving, visiting radio station MaiFM, meeting Olympic cyclists, fishing on a charter boat, recording music with reggae band Katchafire and pounamu carving.

Carl says: "Essentially, we are throwing all these things at the boys and hope that one of them sticks."

Graeme says: "They are going to have a whole lot of fun, they are gonna be a part of things they usually only see on TV or hear about, things they usually don't experience."

The activities will take place during the day with every day having three key focuses: Physical and mental well-being, career perspectives and leisure and spiritual well-being.

Thanks to funding from a range of organisations, including Sport Waikato and the Ministry of Education, the programme is free for the kids. Carl and Graeme don't take a salary and run the programme in their own time.

The kids participating in the programme are of Māori and Pasifika descent since this group is over-represented in crimes such as the ram raids, Carl says.

With the Wairua programme, Graeme and Carl want to teach the boys about mental and physical well-being, leadership, career options and life skills. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

The first eight kids are from a local intermediate school and have been chosen to take part in the programme by their principal because the kids have the potential to become future leaders and role models for their peers.

The principal did not want their name or the name of the school used in this story.

Graeme says that all boys have challenges, including stand-down issues.

"All the boys are great kids who just need some support and guidance," he says.

Graeme and Carl know each other from a previous job at a Hamilton gym. Carl, a former teacher, grew up in Tokoroa and can identify with the boys.

"In a lot of ways, I was what these boys are. I was one bad decision away from doing a dumb thing. Basketball changed my life because it gave me a purpose. I learned to set goals, to work towards something."

Graeme says: "We were the only white people in Melville. My dad was involved in the RSA and we were brought up that we are giving as much as we take."

Thanks to the connection to the school, Carl and Graeme can follow up with the kids after the programme and see what impact it had.

"We don't want to do this as a once-off thing, we have a seven-year plan," Carl says.

Eventually, Graeme and Carl want to extend the programme and run it on a regular basis, for up to 12 boys and roll it out to 16-year-old boys as well who, when they turn 17, come back to the programme for 11- to 13-year-olds as leaders.

"We also want to set up a girls' programme, but we feel like this needs to be run by women," Graeme says.

"There is so much we can do, the only thing that's limiting us is funding."

Despite their positive attitude, Graeme and Carl know they can't have an effect on everybody.

"Every time there is a ram raid, we are thinking 'shit, another one'. Those kids are probably too far down the track already, so we were focusing on the ones we can prevent from going down that road," Graeme says.

Carl says: "If I can change even one kid, only a little bit, it's worth it.

"And if all of this doesn't matter to them, at least they are gonna walk away from the programme feeling good about themselves and say hey, I have done this cool thing once."