Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand and JustSpeak

Press release

19 December 2025

We don’t need to fix these children. We need a new way of thinking.

JustSpeak and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand today launched a report(1) that places the voices of rangatahi at the centre of efforts to improve how we approach justice issues.

The report If I was Prime Minister: Insights and experiences of rangatahi in the Aotearoa New Zealand justice system is the culmination of a two-year research projectgathering stories and knowledge from rangatahi who know firsthand the challenges of the current justice system. These rangatahi, along with insights from people who support them, highlight what is needed to truly make a difference.

“We don’t need to fix these children. We need a new way of thinking of how to help them. We are trying to fix these kids that aren’t broken,” is one of the messages we heard from a rangatahi interviewed as part of this research.

We heard about the need for constitutional transformation to uphold tino rangatiratanga of Māori. We also heard about the difference it made getting support from iwi-led whānau services, when the entire family was supported and centred in the provision of services.

One rangatahi said, “My family went through Ngāti Toa… They handled all of my court stuff. They handled the plan for me to get out of court. They handled the meetings. They handled everything and they did a really good job of it too. They wrote it out in a way where it was family orientated – whānau about whānau.”

Another common theme was the urgent need to invest in prevention. In so many discussions we heard stories of immense hardship and the very difficult challenges rangatahi are dealing with as they try to navigate life as well as possible. This includes poverty, hunger, homelessness, violence and disengagement from school.

A youth worker involved in the research said, “A young person who was sat in front of me the other day was telling me about how they take cars so they’d have somewhere dry to sleep at night. We had a young girl in recently who committed a crime because she knew that she’d be locked up, and for her it was she wanted somewhere to sleep but she wanted three square meals a day, but she also knew that if she committed that crime and got arrested then she’d actually get some support in terms of a mentor. The crime wasn’t even something she wanted to commit; it was she knew that that was a vehicle to get some support in place that she needed.”

We heard deeply frustrating and devastating stories about how current systems are failing – when rangatahi are asking for help, they are being denied.

One of them said, “It was real hard because I couldn’t get help with my crime, couldn’t get help with anything I was doing.”

A youth worker told us, “They speak of anger and hurt in that they tried to reach out for support and help through all the right channels. Maybe through school, through a guidance counsellor, and maybe that Oranga Tamariki or other agencies were involved at a young age, but they weren’t able to get the support or the help that they needed not only for themselves but for whānau.”

As well as sharing the challenges they are facing, rangatahi explained what can make a positive difference. Several vital areas emerged here, including the power of relationships and belonging, and the importance of positive and consistent interpersonal support.

One of the rangatahi said, “I was younger and everything, and he [mentor] never gave up on me, like he always came back the next week, ‘I’m here bro.’ Or not even a message walk in my door, ‘Yep, that’s us, we’re off, get up.’ It’s like, ‘oh yeah, he didn’t quit on me’, and he just kept trying and trying even though I kept yelling at him, and now we’re all good.”

We also heard the importance of involving young people in decision-making. Too often conversations and policy decisions about rangatahi in the justice system do not include rangatahi, whose knowledge and experiences are vital in understanding what’s not working and what can make a difference. This is an issue that many people and communities can probably relate to – the frustration of not being able to have a meaningful say or influence on issues, especially those that may particularly impact a person and their community.

A rangatahi suggested, “I think they should just start listening to young ones… get to know them and their stories, and help them move forward. Get to know why they do what they do, and not just punish them straightaway; yeah, might become a lot better.”

Lisa Woods, Advocacy and Movement Building Director, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, said, “When we develop policies and legislation that do not properly include people most impacted, or at the centre of an issue, we risk enacting systems and laws that are not fit for purpose, ineffectual and potentially even harmful.

“However, when our systems are designed so we can all make a meaningful contribution, we can all benefit in so many ways, including more well-rounded and informed decision-making.”

Katie Perkins, Board Chair, JustSpeak, said, “Rangatahi who become involved with the justice system are too often labelled as 'bad kids' or 'violent youth offenders'. The reality is that many are navigating complex challenges, including poverty, violence, social inequality and disconnection from culture and whakapapa as these rangatahi have outlined in this report.

“We call on decision-makers to reflect on the insights and knowledge rangatahi have shared in this report, and consider how into the future rangatahi can be more meaningfully involved in decision-making on issues that impact them.”

(1) Earlier this year a summary of key themes was released, the full report is now available.