Key's 'great mission' lauded

Prime Minister John Key. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Government will fund 15,000 idle Auckland youngsters who could get up to mischief in the school holidays to go on one-week programmes this summer.

It will also fund up to 200 places for 10-day adventure camps that can be ordered by the Youth Court or a family group conference.

The plans are part of a suite of programmes announced by Prime Minister John Key yesterday in what he termed "a great mission" to ensure the potential of the next generation is released.

Chief Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft was later effusive in his praise of the Prime Minister's move. "It is a clear signal that the Government means business to work with at-risk young people across the board."

Some programmes announced yesterday are aimed at children from deprived homes, some at minor offenders and some at serious youth offenders.

They will allow some existing programmes to be expanded and give the Youth Court more options in sentencing, such as the adventure camps, parenting courses for 700, and residential drug and alcohol programmes for up to 32 people.

Mr Key said funding would allow 30 high-risk youth offenders to be electronically monitored in the community under court order, up a little from the previous 25 it said it would fund. The Government will also provide $4.6 million over four years to test new ideas by bodies that deal with youth offending.

In all, the policies - under the titles "break away" and "fresh start" packages - will cost $84.55 million over four years.

The holiday programme will be for 11-to-17-year-olds, starting with 15,000 places in Auckland this summer and 30,000 across the country next summer.

Mr Key said they could range from drama to outdoor-adventure to sport and would target young people from deprived homes and families under stress.

Other programmes include the Prime Minister's Youth Programme in which 100 14-to-17-year-olds will be picked for a mentoring course with role models such as ex-All Black Norm Hewitt, actor Oscar Kightley and Mr Key himself.

"This programme will be aimed at kids who have been recognised by community leaders as having done what it takes to really turn their lives around."

He said the wider community should support the policies "because it is actually in the interests of all of us in having a safer community and youngsters that are engaged and motivated."

The programmes announced yesterday are separate to the military-style camps for youth offenders provided for in a bill now before Parliament, and the $152 million youth work policies Mr Key announced this month.

Mr Key said yesterday the Government wants to back what works.

"These policies will go a long way towards dismantling some of the New Zealand's ticking time bombs."

He said they were the policies Judge Becroft had been crying out for.

WHAT'S NEW?

Break away package - $12 million over four years.
* Holiday programmes for 15,000 youngsters aged 11 to 17 each summer.
* 500 residential camp places for children and young people being cared for by foster parents and extended whanau to give carers respite.
* Prime Minister's youth camp for 100 young people aged 14 to 17 identified by teachers, police or youth workers as having overcome adversity and made positive changes in their lives.

New parts of fresh start package
* Court-ordered adventure camps for up to 10 days for up to 200, starting April 2010, costing $5.35 million over four years.
* 1000 places in community youth development programmes led by the police for young people at risk of offending - referrals will be by principals, police or courts. Cost $9.8 million over four years.
* Innovations Fund available to grass roots organisations with new ideas of dealing with youth offending, funding 230 places, costing $4.5 million over four years.