Considerations in consultation and co-design: An assessment of Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata Safe and Effective Justice Programme

In 2017, concern over Aotearoa New Zealand’s rising and unsustainable incarceration rate prompted the then Labour government to explore options for criminal justice reform. One major goal was to reduce the number of incarcerated persons by 30 per cent over 15 years. To this end, the government launched the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata Safe and Effective Justice Programme in 2018. It sought input from key stakeholders on how the system was failing and ways to achieve better outcomes for individuals and society.

During 2018-2019, multiple events were held across the country and involved participants with lived experience of the system, such as former offenders, victims of crime and families of inmates. One of the biggest issues was the massive overrepresentation of Māori in the prison population and how colonisation, intergenerational trauma and racism have underpinned and perpetuated the situation.

Building on her research in restorative justice, author Dr Sarah Roth Shank explores the development of the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata Programme and the important dialogue it facilitated. She also discusses how its design has been questioned and the Programme’s uncertain legacy in the wake of COVID-19 and a change of government.