A day to celebrate at Ngawha with renewed focus on prisoner literacy

Winston Peters with Howard League President Tony Gibbs heading into the graduation at the prison. Photo / Debbie Beadle

Northland MP Winston Peters said he was honoured to be a guest at Ngawha prison last week for a Howard League literacy course graduation and programme relaunch.

The work of the Howard League was greatly valued, he said, quoting president Tony Gibbs: "The Howard League's work is vital to ensure that the penal system isn't merely an expensive human scrap-heap New Zealanders should be ashamed of."

The league had a proud history in New Zealand, he said, and had been a strong voice campaigning on rehabilitation, appropriate punishment and alternatives to prison.

"No doubt one of the motivating factors for the Howard League is to look forward," Mr Peters said.

"Prisons should be places where there is both punishment and rehabilitation - a second chance.

"Prisons must be more than just cells, bars and locked gates and doors. They must be places where hope is given an opportunity to grow.

"Ngawha works to achieve this with its emphasis on inmates acquiring skills with a range of programmes."

In collaboration with Habitat for Humanity, inmates had built homes for three Northland families in need.

Prisoners' artwork was displayed at exhibitions and sold in aid of charitable organisations, while drama, music, sport, carving and education programmes were offered.

The literacy programme was critically important.

"Too many prisoners in New Zealand -- 71 per cent -- have difficulty reading and writing.

"The Howard League provides the chance for these prisoners to acquire all-important skills. The literacy programme is now six years old, and has taught between 500 and 700 people all over New Zealand.

"The changes to a person's self-esteem when he or she finds they are able to read competently can be remarkable.

"Completion of the course shows the reader is competent enough to be able to read the road code.

"When this is attained the opportunity of getting a driver's licence becomes a distinct possibility -- a visa, so to speak, enhancing the prospects of getting a job.

"This graduation ceremony today hopefully marks a stage of the journey to better times. This is a day to celebrate," Mr Peters added.

"It is worth remembering the words of Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years locked up in prison: 'As I walked out the door toward freedom, I knew that if I did not leave all the anger, hatred and bitterness behind, that I would still be in prison.'

"Hopefully more and more prisoners will leave prison that way, buoyed up and feeling strong, having been helped by this wonderful literacy programme that the Howard League makes possible."

Now he's the role model

The Howard League's literacy programme had opened many doors for the Ngawha inmate who graduated last week, according to his tutor.

When they first met his student could not read more than two- and three-letter words.

Now he could read every one of the Road Code's 350 questions.

"Once he got a taste of learning there was no stopping him," the tutor said.

"I then got him to write a small essay on his experiences in prison. It's worth reading, and very interesting.

"He has learned eight years of literacy in 12 weeks. He is now the role model; he has set the benchmark for others to follow."