A rehabilitation programme is aiming to help Pasifika inmates at Waikato’s Spring Hill prison by reconnecting them with the values of their homelands.
Saili Matagi is a Pacific rehab programme delivered by Spring Hill’s Vaka Fa'aola unit, which aims to set inmates on the path to redemption.
It’s designed for inmates who have a medium risk of reoffending and who are serving sentences for violence.
“The destination for these men is to be safe, to get back to their families and lead a violence-free life,” facilitator Pou Lilo told Tagata Pasifika.
Unlike other rehabilitation programmes, English is not a requirement for Saili Matagi. Instead all that is required is a willingness to change by reconnecting with Pacific values.
‘Va is important to nearly all Pacific cultures, understanding the space between you and somebody else, how to behave, how to talk, how to walk is an important part of Pasifika.”
The 17-week programme has a 92 per cent completion rate, compared with 85 per cent for other programmes.
“I just have simple goals of getting out and staying out,” one inmate told Tagata Pasika.
“Getting employment, contributing to society and simple things, be a peaceful man and be kind really.”
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