Brownie Mane was released in 2015 and now works to help turn people's lives away from crime. Photo / Supplied
Brownie Mane was released in 2015 and now works to help turn people's lives away from crime. Photo / Supplied
Rotorua Daily Post Year In Review takes a look back at 2018 and republishes some of the top stories of the year. This one was originally published in November and was one of the most-read stories on rotoruadailypost.co.nz.
A former Black Power leader who served life behind bars for the high-profile murder of Christopher Crean is to give a talk in Rotorua to help people lead a better life.
Brownie Mane - who has led a crime-free life trying to help young people stay away from gangs since his release in 2015 - is the guest speaker at the event that aims to highlight the danger of living a life of crime.
Brownie Mane was released in 2015 and now works to help turn people's lives away from crime. Photo / Supplied
His talk is part of a fundraiser for the Puwhakamua course, a privately run course designed to turn the lives around of Rotorua criminals using te reo Maori and tikanga (Māori language and customs).
There are six men on the course, the brainchild of another reformed criminal Billy Macfarlane.
Macfarlane said funding he had received had run out and he had been self-funding the course since.
He said he wanted more funds to see the course attendees through the Christmas and New Year period, traditionally a high-risk time for criminals to slip back into old habits.
Macfarlane said Mane would talk about gang life and offer help and solutions to families dealing with the difficulties of young men going off the rails.
He said the event had an age restriction of 15 and over but would be a powerful talk for young people and their families to hear.
Three of the six men who are to graduate from Puwhakamua were also to give their testimonies at the event.
Billy Macfarlane runs the Puwhakamua course that aims to turn former criminals' lives around. Photo / File
Macfarlane said the six men had learned a lot on the course and were showing positive signs. They could now give welcomes in te reo Māori as well as perform kapa haka.
The fundraiser was held on Saturday, December 8.
Christopher Crean was shot in front of his wife and young family on his doorstep in 1996. Photo / Supplied
About Brownie Mane
Mane was one of four men convicted of Crean's murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 1997.
Crean, a father of four and devout Christian, was set to give evidence as a Crown witness in a police case against Black Power members who had attacked a rival gang member outside Crean's home.
The 27-year-old refused to be silenced despite threats and two unsuccessful attempts on his life prior to being gunned down at his New Plymouth home in 1996 while his children were home.
He was posthumously awarded the New Zealand Bravery Decoration three years later.
Crean's life and death was chronicled in the TVNZ docu-drama Resolve last year.
