The Mahi Tahi Trust works with prison inmates and their whānau, helping them to change their hearts and minds by discovering and recovering traditional Māori principles, values and disciplines. The work is centred on four day, sleep-in New Life Akoranga (NLA) wānanga that are held in New Zealand prisons. The programme also involves contact with and support from hapū and iwi, mentoring inmates, and the involvement and support of inmates’ whānau.
The concept and the programme have developed over many years, following the example of leaders such as Sir Apirana Ngata and John Rangihau, and more recently building on the findings of the Ministerial Committee of Inquiry into Violence in 1987, led by Sir Clinton Roper. The programme receives a major part of its funding through a contract with the Department of Corrections.
The possibility of the Ministry of Justice working with the Mahi Tahi Trust to develop research on the programme was first raised by the Trust with the agreement of the Minister of Justice at a hui looking at a culture-based approach to prison reform held at Awataha Marae in 1998. The Mahi Tahi Trust, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Corrections, and Te Puni Kōkiri identified several needs for the research:
• To document the value of this indigenous approach to prison reform and to the rehabilitation of inmates and their whānau, as a basis for continued support and possible extension.
• To provide the Trust with on-going information and feedback so that it could plan and make improvements and changes to its activities and directions.
• To establish the magnitude of the programme’s impact on offending behaviour. Reducing re-offending is a primary aim of the Department of Corrections.
Two types of research were developed to meet these needs. The first type of research was a qualitative study, which aimed to document how far the programme achieved its aim of helping prison inmates and their whänau to change their hearts and minds, outlook, behaviour and relationships. It also aimed to document the indigenous message of the programme by describing the underlying philosophies, methods and processes. Between October 2000 and May 2002, the researchers, Nan Wehipeihana and Laurie Porima, attended programme meetings and hui, observed and participated in wānanga, reviewed documentation, interviewed Trust personnel, interviewed 23 New Life Akoranga participants in prison, and conducted post-release interviews with 14 of those participants. The research was conducted primarily with wānanga participants in Māori Focus Units, which supported and reinforced the tikanga as shared in the wānanga.
The second type of research aimed to examine the programme’s impact on participants’ subsequent offending behaviour. Completed within the Ministry of Justice, it was a quantitative study of the reconviction and reimprisonment rates following release from prison for a sample of NLA participants compared with a matched sample of inmates who had not completed NLA while in prison. The samples were drawn from inmates in prison between July 1997 and December 1998 and were followed up for at least one year following release.
It is important to understand the limitations of each study before moving on to consider their findings. In the quantitative study, reconviction and reimprisonment rates were used as a proxy for the unknown actual level of reoffending. The study was limited by being unable to isolate the impact of NLA when combined with other programmes completed, and by covering a time period early in the development of the NLA programme. In the qualitative study, the findings reflect the experiences of a small non-random sample, and caution should be taken in generalising the findings to all NLA participants.
Part A of this report presents the qualitative study “Research into the New Life Akoranga Programme”, including an introduction, programme description, a section on wānanga philosophy and rationale, a section on research approach and methodology, the study findings, researcher reflections, and a summary and conclusions.
Part B of this report presents the reoffending study, “Reconviction analysis for inmates who have completed the New Life Akoranga Programme”, including an introduction, a section outlining the methodology employed, the study findings, and a summary and conclusions.
Part C of this report presents an “Overview of Research on the New Life Akoranga Programme of the Mahi Tahi Trust”, including a prologue, summary of the findings of the two reports, a section on what we can learn from the research, and an epilogue.
Purpose
To address the research aims, the following objectives were jointly developed with Mahi Tahi Trust and the Ministry of Justice:
• To describe and document the programme in a detailed and clear manner, for example, what is being done, how, when and by whom?
• To explore participants’ perceptions of the programme, namely programme participants and their whānau, Mahi Tahi Trust and prison officers directly involved with programme participants.
• To review the extent to which the stated objectives of the programme are being met and what factors affect this. In particular:
- In what way/how does the programme help inmates and whänau achieve personal changes – emotional, spiritual, social, attitudinal and behavioural change – as articulated in the programme?
- What affect does the programme have on participants’ attitudes and behaviour?
For example, a description of the behaviour changes from the perspective of participants, whānau, prison staff and mentors. From the perspective of the Trust, along with documenting and describing the programme approach, an important aspect of the research was that it focuses on capturing and reporting participants’ perceptions of the programme, namely, that it gives voice to participants’ thoughts, feelings and experience of the programme and the perceived benefits for them.
Methodology
The research commenced in April 2000 with fieldwork completed in May 2002 and was conducted in three distinct stages.
There were two components to stage one of the research. Firstly, a series of research activities were undertaken to contribute to the development of the research proposal and the documentation of the NLA Programme. Secondly, these same activities were also used to begin the process of building relationships with the Trust and programme personnel.
Stage two of the research focused on capturing participants’ perceptions and views of the NLA Programme and the perceived impact of the programme on them whilst still in prison.
Stage three of the research focused on capturing participants’ perceptions and views of the NLA Programme after release and the extent to which they felt the programme assisted them to not re-offend.
The principle of whanaungatanga (developing relationships) was the primary principle that underpinned the research approach employed. From the outset, the importance of establishing good relationships with the Trust, with the mentors, with prison personnel and with participants guided the research approach employed. Other key principles included a research approach that was guided and informed by tikanga Māori (cultural principles and practices) and research practices and processes that were mana enhancing (the process of acknowledging and respecting a person’s self worth).
A more detailed discussion of the research approach and methodology employed is provided in section four.