Mana Social Services brings offenders and victims together. Photo / Getty Images
When you’re a crime victim, sometimes coming face-to-face with the perpetrator is the best way of getting justice and healing. Senior journalist Kelly Makiha meets those bringing offenders and victims together.
Sorry is just a word.
But if someone has committed a crime, there’s a way for them to show they are actually sorry.
That’s where Rotorua’s Mana Social Services come in.
The service has been the Ministry of Justice’s restorative justice provider in Rotorua since 1999.
But what does restorative justice mean?
It’s a process written into law – meaning everyone has the opportunity to access restorative justice if they want to.
It brings together willing victims and offenders in a process that is controlled by trained professionals.
In the meetings, offenders come face-to-face with their victims and, in some instances, can offer explanations for how the offending came about.
This can sometimes give victims closure about why they were targeted. Offenders also have the opportunity to express their remorse and, in some cases, offer to put right some of the harm they have caused.
In Rotorua, Kevin Lee and Wendy Branch are among the trained experts.
Lee sits in the Rotorua courts and keeps an ear out for cases that can be referred for restorative justice. He also reports back to judges on how meetings went.
Branch, who leads the facilitators, works through the referrals and brings together those people who want to meet.
Hundreds of cases are referred each year. They go through a pre-conference process to determine if all parties are on board and if it’s safe.
Often, it goes no further. But more than 100 face-to-face restorative justice meetings are facilitated each year.
As Branch explains, not every case is appropriate. It needs to be something victims and offenders want to do if it’s to have any benefit.
More than 80% of restorative justice cases are family violence-related. But Lee says restorative justice can be and has been for anything – from thefts to murders.
Branch says it can be emotional work, but it is valuable when they personally witness people coming out the other side as better people.
Lee said bail conditions often mean the two parties aren’t allowed to associate with each other.
Often, restorative justice is the only way the parties can get together to sort things out to either move on amicably or stay together as a family, especially if children are involved, Lee says.
Branch says it gives victims a voice and an ability to hear their “why”.
“They’re often really nervous coming in, but everyone has their voice by the end of the meeting. Usually they end in a happy embrace.”
Branch says showing remorse for wrongdoings is part of change. If offenders can genuinely show they are remorseful, it goes a long way in helping them.
But sometimes people try to “play the system” if they think they can get a discount on their sentences.
But Branch and Lee say they and the other facilitators are on to these offenders and can easily weed them out.
“Sorry is just a word,” Branch says.
“When they are actively engaging to work on themselves and make positive changes, that shows sorry.”
For Lee and Branch, the job is more than rewarding.
Lee – a rugby man who has coached at senior club level – draws on his life experience inside and outside social work. Branch says Mana Social Services is lucky to have someone like Lee, given his knowledge.
For Lee, it’s more than a job.
“I just like being in a position where I can help people.”
Branch says she is humbled to be part of the process of bringing people together.
“We have got a great team, and our team are very passionate about the restorative justice process. We are not here for the wage. We are here because we believe in the process.”
Mana Social Services Trust was the brainchild of Maxine Rennie – a passionate social services advocate who set up the service in 1996.
Rennie shied away from personal publicity but was recognised for her work with a Queen’s Service Medal in 2006.
She was described as a pioneer in social services, particularly in addressing family violence, and worked to give everyone a second chance.
She died in April 2024, but in her time she built Mana Social Services up to what it is today - the holder of government contracts with the Ministry of Justice, Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Social Development.
Now under the leadership of general manager Rose Walker, the service employs 15 people full time and delivers court-referred restorative justice in five courts: Rotorua, Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne, Taupō and Tokoroa.
It also offers programmes for social workers in schools, group and individual programmes for family violence victims and a specialised children’s programme.
One of its newer programmes is specifically designed for men. Te Puawaitanga-Roppu Tautoko Tane helps support vulnerable men and is run by social worker Lucky Meads.
Meads says most men in the court system have suffered trauma, while others are naive and unaware of the system they find themselves in and have no idea how to get help.
“Most of these men have protection orders on them, but I can guarantee you they need protecting themselves.”
The men are referred to the programme and are carefully selected. They meet once a week for 90 minutes over eight weeks and cover a range of topics, including grief, loss, communication, barriers, mental health and wellbeing, and safety planning to stay trouble-free.
Walker says Meads, like many of their experienced and passionate staff, delivers a difficult and sometimes “heavy” programme.
But he has “a way” with those taking part.
“He walks around with a real spring in his step, and people love coming here. They smile, and they feel welcome.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.