Ara Poutama Aotearoa has launched a nationwide initiative to extend rehabilitative and reintegrative services to remand prisoners, following amendments to the Corrections Act 2004 and a $78 million funding commitment. This presentation, co-delivered by Hayden Gray (Programme Manager Pae Ora) and Jessica Borg (Chief Psychologist/Director Programmes), outlines the strategic, operational, and ethical dimensions of this initiative, which is part of the Optimising Our Services (OOS) programme.
The initiative builds on a rationalised suite of services structured around ten clusters of need, including cultural connection. It introduces generic service pathways for custodial cohorts and prioritises modular, short-duration programmes suitable for remand settings. Services identified for extension include AOD harm minimisation, Tikanga Māori programmes, vocational training, and reintegration support.
Implementation involved extensive engagement with site leadership to identify feasible service options, infrastructure constraints, and workforce needs. Legal and ethical considerations were addressed, particularly around consent and eligibility. Infrastructure upgrades and workforce uplifts were scoped to support delivery.
The presentation will share insights into system enablers and barriers, including security classification, infrastructure, and staff capacity. It will highlight the importance of balancing national consistency with site-level responsiveness and the role of cross-functional collaboration.
This initiative marks a significant shift in Corrections’ approach to remand, aiming to improve outcomes for individuals in custody and reduce reoffending through culturally responsive, evidence-informed rehabilitation.
×
Hayden Gray
Programme Manager, Department of Corrections, New Zealand, Ara Poutama Aotearoa
Hayden Gray – Programme Manager, Office of the DCE Pae Ora, Department of Corrections
Hayden Gray (Te Āti Awa) is an experienced P3M professional having worked extensively in both central government and nonprofit sectors. He currently provides strategic and management oversight of the Pae Ora National Office work programme. Hayden also closely supports Corrections’ Pathways and Services Portfolio and the Optimising our Services programme, including leading the implementation of the extension of rehabilitative services to the remand population. Hayden’s team also has responsibility for the ministerial and external body servicing for Pae Ora, including annual reporting and Parliamentary Select Committee preparation for the Minister for Corrections and the Prime Minister. Hayden is a criminologist with a research background focusing on Māori experiences through the Youth Courts, and the use of restorative justice in hate crime cases.
×
Jessica Borg
Chief Psychologist/Director Programmes, Department of Corrections, New Zealand, Ara Poutama Aotearoa
Jessica became the Chief Psychologist and General Manager Psychology & Programmes in 2019 after holding multiple roles within both National Office and front-line psychological services at Ara Poutama Aotearoa. As the Chief Psychologist, she has strategic responsibility for the design, development, implementation and monitoring of psychological services and rehabilitation programmes. Her early tertiary education, which includes a Masters degree in Human Rights and experience in child and adolescent psychology, has deeply influenced her career and one of her key goals is to be able to combine a humanitarian approach to the protective and corrective functions of criminal justice and forensic psychology.
As a previous Manager of both High and Medium Intensity Programmes and a Senior Psychologist in frontline service, she has trained and supervised Programme Facilitators and Psychologists, engaged in integrity monitoring and supported the continuous evaluation and improvement of programme design. Over the 15 years I have been working at National Office, we have also seen an expansion of National Office functions both in the support of frontline clinical rehabilitative staff as well as a heightened recognition of the strategic, organisation-wide value of the study of human behaviour.
