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

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters puts the boot into those putting the boot into boot camps

Joseph Los'e
By Joseph Los'e
Kaupapa Māori Editor·NZ Herald·
7 Mar, 2024 08:08 PM3 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

How the Government’s 100-day plan is going, an anxious wait for hundreds of TVNZ staff and calls for stricter rules on deadly air rifles in the latest NZ Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald / Getty

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has slated critics of the Government’s young offenders boot camp proposals, saying those who oppose the initiative to curb youth crime are “clowns”.

Peters campaigned on introducing military-style boot camps to help young offenders on to the right track.

Children’s Minister Karen Chhour said this week, as part of the National-Act-New Zealand First coalition agreement and the Government’s 100 day plan, that a pilot would be operational by the middle of the year, and Oranga Tamariki would oversee it.

“It will have a military-style component as well as a rehabilitative and trauma-informed care approach to help these young people turn their lives around and reduce their risk of re-offending.

Winston Peters says the critics 'have never talked to the Māori who were the heads of the military in this country'. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Winston Peters says the critics 'have never talked to the Māori who were the heads of the military in this country'. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“Oranga Tamariki will lead and deliver the programme, working with providers where they have appropriate capability and expertise, and alongside other government departments in a multi-agency approach to ensure it is a well-rounded programme.”

Experts claim there is no evidence boot camps actually reduce offending, and in fact they can expose participants to the risk of further violence and abuse from offenders in the programme.

Aaron Hendry - a youth advocate and director of youth organisation Kick Back - said he was extremely concerned as boot camps were not the best way to deal with young offenders.

“We know it is not going to be largely successful and looking at research overseas and here as well they haven’t been successful. Not long term.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hendry said the military component can cause more harm for young people who were already not in a good space.

“The young people we are talking about have already come through trauma - disability and illness, poverty and homelessness.

“The reality that children, who we know are some of our most structurally vulnerable and marginalized within our society, children who have suffered trauma, abuse, poverty, homelessness, who struggle with mental illness and disabilities, children who suffer because of our collective irresponsibility, are the ones who will be most affected by this decision.”

But Peters compares the camps to the Limited Service Volunteer scheme established under the Labour-New Zealand First Government in 2017, when the Defence Force ran intensive six-week courses to teach life and motivational skills to young unemployed – which he says were particularly successful for young Māori.

NZ Army captain Brian Poananga, who served with an Australian battalion; Lieutenant Gilmer John (Gil) Lucas MC; 3/395 Major Jeffrey James (Jim) Shelton MC, the company commander.
NZ Army captain Brian Poananga, who served with an Australian battalion; Lieutenant Gilmer John (Gil) Lucas MC; 3/395 Major Jeffrey James (Jim) Shelton MC, the company commander.

“Here we go, do something to help youth turn their lives around, and the usual cacophony of clowns calling themselves experts say this won’t work. They’ve never talked to [Brian] Poananga. They’ve never talked to the Māori who were the heads of the military in this country,” Peters said.

Brian Poananga was the first Māori to be appointed Chief of General Staff and had a long and illustrious army career.

Last year Peters said military-style boot camps for young offenders could work if run correctly.

Read More

  • First boot camp for young offenders to be running by ...
  • Children’s Minister Karen Chhour disagrees with anti-boot ...
  • Election 2023: A political history of boot camps; National ...
  • Boot camps a ‘cliche’, says former National minister ...

He said Defence Force careers have produced thousands of exceptional Māori achievers – because Māori thrive with good direction, order and training.

“If you look at things positively and it’s run correctly, then it will work. But my fear is it’s a tokenistic sort of statement, put out to try and demonstrate that you’re for law and order,” Peters said last year.

He said to work properly, all factors must be taken into account and addressed – such as truancy and dysfunctional home environments.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Additional reporting Waatea.News.Com

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Kahu

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
New Zealand

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

02 Jul 03:37 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Kahu

'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

Kidney disease in Māori often stems from diabetes and high blood pressure.

'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
'Until we meet again': Hundreds gather in Taihape to mourn 'peaceful leader'

'Until we meet again': Hundreds gather in Taihape to mourn 'peaceful leader'

01 Jul 08:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

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
search by queryly Advanced Search