A newly established role in the courts, aimed at providing crucial support to children with a parent in prison, is said to be the first of its kind in the world and will be rolled out in Auckland's Manukau District Court this year.
The Kaiwhatu Kura Whānau (whānau navigator) role will work directly with families and children of prisoners to support their needs and help them navigate the court process as soon as a parent enters the justice system.
It comes after a group of rangatahi, who grew up with a parent in prison, petitioned Parliament for transformative change following the death of 5-year-old Malachi Subecz who was murdered by a caregiver in 2021 while his mother was behind bars.
“It’s going to save lives,” says 20-year-old Tayshon.
“Malakai Subecz’s case has been the beacon for us to look to. This is mahi that we’ve put so much whakaaro (thoughts), aroha and manaaki (support) into and it’s really groundbreaking.”
An invisible sentence
Malachi’s case rocked the justice system, sparking an inquiry, a coronial report and a raft of recommendations. Dame Karen Poutasi’s report on the inquiry revealed Malachi was “unseen at key moments when he needed to be visible.”
Tayshon says rangatahi like her serve an invisible sentence when a parent enters prison.
“People think prison is just somebody behind bars, but it's not. It's also about our Tamariki and what follows them home and into their schools and into their communities and into their identities and the way they see themselves.
Tayshon was among three rangatahi who spoke to TVNZ’s Indepth in 2024 about their experience growing up with a parent in prison, calling for the recommendations from the inquiry to go further. Last year they presented a petition to parliament calling for legislative change, including the initiative for a whānau coordinator role to be implemented in district courts across the country.
Now three roles will be implemented in Manukau District Court, co-funded by the South Auckland Social Wellbeing Board, with hopes to see the service rolled out in district courts across the country.
'We feel as though we're a burden'
“If I had [the role] back then, I would’ve been safe, heard, seen, valued. I would have had a whānau.
“Tamariki like me never had those support systems to lean on, and I guess we feel as though we're a burden due to our circumstances.”
According to New Zealand Treasury data, nearly 20,000 children in New Zealand have a parent in prison. If you count children with a parent serving a community sentence or home detention, that number more than doubles to include about 17% of all children in Aotearoa – that’s almost one in five kids.
That same data shows children of prisoners are 10 times more likely to end up in prison themselves.
Corrina Thompson, Lead Researcher and Youth Mentor at Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou, a charity supporting the children and whānau of people in prison, says early intervention is longterm prevention.
“Aotearoa pays the cost whether we consider families or not. This is the fence at the top of the cliff, rather than funding the ambulance at the bottom,” said Thompson.
'The need is great'
Former Children’s Commissioner Dr Clair Achmad also believes the role will ultimately save lives.
“It's crucial that the role is well implemented in this first stage. My vision is that we see it coming through across the justice system throughout the country, because the need is great
“It’s an example of a rangatahi-led solution, backed by Pillars Ka Pou whakahou, and then helped to be brought to life through the support of members of the judiciary and community leaders.
“It's going to give hope for many affected by our justice system today.”
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