Ten high risk Rotorua offenders to be targeted in new Maori-based programme

Ten of Rotorua's high risk offenders are to be hand picked for a new rehabilitation programme that will wrap the former criminals in Maori culture over a 12-month period.

The programme is being run by former drug lord Billy Macfarlane who is now hell bent on showing high risk offenders that if they too learn more about their culture, they will lead a better life.

Macfarlane, who turned his life around while serving a 14-year prison sentence for bankrolling a major methamphetamine ring, is to start the programme in five weeks.

He's got the backing of kaumatua, police, lawyers and community leaders.

Macfarlane is doing it all off his own bat. The course has no direct funding and no official government approval. To help with costs, he's set up a Givealittle page and is asking the community to help.

"But I'm not going to beg people for money cause I'm launching this whether I have the funds or not."

Macfarlane now lives a modest lifestyle compared with what he once did and makes his living from koha for teaching te reo.

The Givealittle funds will go towards te reo classes, tikanga wananga, marae stays and general costs to run the course and do community work. He estimates it will cost about $40,000 to run.

What is driving Macfarlane is his firm belief that high risk offenders will have a better life if they are connected to their culture.

He said he felt court-ordered programmes and those offered in prisons were not intense enough and only paid "lip service" to Maori culture.

The course is an intense six-month programme followed by a further six months of follow up support and mentoring.

Called Puwhakamua, it consists of a series of 12 six-hour wananga over six months as well as cultural training in te reo (the language), mahi toi (the arts) and mau rakau (weaponry).

The following six months was about checking in to make sure the men stayed focused and crime-free, Macfarlane said.

All participants will engage in te reo classes for two hours twice a week, fitness training, whaikorero (formal speaking) classes as well as community work.

Participants will spend at least 265 hours on the programme.

Macfarlane said the participants would go through a journey from ancient times to the present day and learn to apply those teachings to modern day situations.

"Through cultural practices they will learn to be proud, disciplined, polite, community focused and kind."

The 10 men on the course would be deemed high risk of offending in either violence, dishonesty or drug offences, have expressed a desire to change and would want to learn Maori culture, Macfarlane said.

Macfarlane has made a list of about five potential participants and he hoped promotion of the programme would result in more being nominated or coming forward.

District court judge Louis Bidois told the Rotorua Daily Post Macfarlane's course was commendable.

"He is a man genuine in his endeavours. Whatever support can be given should be given. What he's trying to do is coming from within. With Billy's background he knows how they feel and what they experience."

Judge Bidois said the courts didn't always send offenders to Crown-driven courses and in some cases courses such as Macfarlane's would work better.

He said if the course showed consistent change in offenders he would be happy to recommend it as part of Section 25 and 27 of the Sentencing Act, which allowed judges to defer sentences until a cultural report was written following rehabilitation.

Bay of Plenty police district Maori response manager Inspector Phil Taikato said anything credible that would prevent Maori offending would be supported by police.

"Billy is really genuine about doing this sort of stuff and we will support it."

Taikato said something different had to be tried.

"There has been a lot tried with good intent in the past but it has not worked."

Te Arawa Pukenga Koeke Council chairman Paraone Pirika fully supported Macfarlane's course and encouraged others to do so.

"He's like a tiger when he gets something going. His whole enthusiasm and energy is what I'm supporting. We have worked a little with Billy and he has a way of working with these guys."

Pirika said Macfarlane proved no one was beyond changing.

Prominent Maori lawyer Annette Sykes said Macfarlane's enthusiasm, commitment, and love for his descendants deserved "unconditional support".

"With the gaze on the construction of a mega prison I have looked closer to home to see what Te Arawa themselves are developing as alternatives.

"Te Arawa have too many of our people making up the 6000 approximate Maori that are incarcerated.

"We have the means to develop alternative strategies of well-being for our whanau that will enable individuals who have fallen foul of the system to be nurtured in our ways of life - the practices of manaakitanga that we all live by and to eventually take their roles in the leadership of our pa, our marae, our komiti whakahaere (Maori committees) as their grandmothers and grandfathers did."

What Puwhakamua entails
* 75 hours in tikanga wananga
* 100 hours in te reo classes
* 35 hours community service
* 25 hours learning formal Maori speaking (whaikorero)
* At least 30 hours engaged in group fitness activities

Expected outcomes
* 60% of participants will stop offending for at least one year following the programme
* 50% of participants will be regularly involved in community activities for at least one year from the stare
* 50% of participants will gain either fulltime employment or enter studies within three months of completion
* All participants will attend follow up sessions for six months after completion

How to donate
https://tinyurl.com/Puwhakamua