"When you're from Kaikohe no one expects much from you. They expect you to be another statistic."
Aroha said the problems stemmed from the boys' backgrounds and upbringing. It was hard to know how to fix the problem but in the short term Kaikohe needed to be more secure and more police were needed on the streets.
"We also need to teach youth that things like that aren't okay, that there are consequences to what you do."
Problems with wayward youth were not unique to Kaikohe but happened all over the country, she added.
The Year 13 student hopes to study graphic design next year.
Businessman and Kaikohe Community Patrol founder Tony Taylor said most trouble in the town was caused by about 20 dysfunctional families. Most were multi-generational beneficiaries; some had moved to Kaikohe to be close to family members in Ngawha Prison.