Wairaka Kokiri Trust to retain approval status - Child, Youth and Family

A Child, Youth and Family review into an incident in which two participants absconded from the Maroera Bush Camp programme run by the Wairaka Kokiri Trust has now been completed, according to Child, Youth and Family Deputy Chief Executive Mr Ray Smith.

Ray Smith said, "The staff took the right actions in the circumstances - decisions were consistently made in the interests of the safety and wellbeing of the young people on the programme."

"I have been impressed by the Trust’s significant strengths, including its commitment to young people and the dedication of the staff on the frontline.

Ray Smith said today that the review didn’t just examine the event in question, but also looked at where the organisation could make improvements in the event of any future incidents.

He said, "The Review did identify some areas for improvement at the Trust, predominantly in terms of information management and further training, but the Trust itself has worked hard to address any gaps in procedure and we have every faith in their commitment to making the programme even better.

"We will continue to work alongside the Trust to assist."

Mr Smith said the majority of the young people referred to the Trust had significant involvement in criminal offending, the Trust continually deals with a very difficult client group, one that very few other providers offer rehabilitative programmes to.

"The Trust has a valuable contribution to make in helping turn young offenders lives around."

At the time, serious allegations were made regarding drug and alcohol use at the programme, as well as the misuse of firearms - these were referred to the Police for investigation.

The Police have since advised that the allegations were not substantiated and lack credibility. Accordingly, no evidence has been found to suggest any illegal or dangerous activity or practices are taking place on the programmes.

Child, Youth and Family will conduct a follow-up Review of the Trust by October.