Maori account for 17% of the New Zealand population and make up over 50% of the prison population. This level of over-representation was reached in the mid-1980s and has remained at this level ever since. Once in prison, Maori are less likely to engage in treatment, more likely to exit treatment early, are more likely to serve a greater proportion of their sentence and are more likely to do so in high security settings which limit access to treatment. Perhaps not surprisingly given these factors, Maori rates of reoffending are much higher than other ethnic groups. To reduce reoffending and improve community safety, it is therefore essential that interventions and services “work” for Māori.

In response to this challenge 2019, the Department of Corrections in New Zealand embarked on a transformation project known as “Māori Pathways”: a programme of a scale not previously seen in New Zealand Corrections. Across a four-year period, this project intended to reduce the over-representation of Māori in the Corrections system by implementing seamless, end-to-end cultural pathways for Māori in prison and into the community.
This paper will present findings from a lessons learned review conducted of Māori Pathways in the second half of 2024 as the pilot reached its conclusion. It identifies promising areas of innovation and reflects on the system conditions and organisational foundations needed for successful transformation (both at the system and individual level).

Transforming cultural responsivity and organisational culture: identifying conditions for success based on lessons derived from the Māori Pathways Programme in New Zealand Corrections (PID063)

Speakers

Bronwyn Morrison