Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou announces first criminal court whānau support role for New Zealand
Official Media Release
Without the right support, at least 20,000 tamariki in Aotearoa with a parent in prison are 10 times more likely to end up in the justice system themselves by the age of 21.
A new role, Kaiwhatu Kura Whānau (whānau navigator), will be piloted in the Manukau District Court by Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou to work alongside whānau to access support, navigate the court process and make plans that support tamariki, following the sentencing of a parent.
“Tamariki and whānau often feel they too are serving a sentence when a parent goes to prison, through no fault of their own they can be left carrying invisible barriers of trauma, stigma, confusion and isolation. By ensuring tamariki are seen, heard, and supported when a parent is sentenced, we can open up new doorways for them,” says Tuhi Leef, CEO of Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou.
“The critical role a whānau navigator can make for the criminal court system was identified by rangatahi themselves who have a parent in prison. The imprisonment of a parent has a significant impact on children, yet there is no legal framework in Aotearoa that requires the needs of children to be considered in the sentencing and until now there has been no whānau support role in the criminal court.”
The South Auckland Social Wellbeing Board will fund three whānau navigators and Tuhi says the hope is that more roles will be rolled out across Aotearoa.
“A whānau navigator in the criminal court is grounded in an evidence-led, trauma-informed and mana-enhancing approach that prioritises long-term wellbeing rather than short-term crisis response. It reflects growing recognition that supporting children early can prevent harm before it becomes entrenched, this is a critical step in building a community where every child has the support they need to create positive futures,” says Tuhi.
Corrina Thompson, Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou’s programme development, youth and research lead, says the concept of a whānau navigator role was identified in 2022. She worked alongside the Ngā Rangatira Mō Āpōpō, a youth advisory panel of rangatahi with lived experience of a parent in prison, to identify, design and advocate for funding for the new role.
In 2025, an open letter was presented by the panel to the then Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad and the Minister for Children Karen Chhour and has since been supported by members of the Judiciary and Mana Mokopuna.
“The Kaiwhatu Kura Whānau role is a globally innovative and groundbreaking landmark in transformative justice. It represents a by-rangatahi, for-rangatahi, community-led solution that speaks directly to the intergenerational harm often experienced by whānau affected by parental incarceration. The voices of those with lived experience hold important and nuanced expertise. Centring the voices of those most impacted by policy renewal is a critical step in Aotearoa's journey towards a safer, more holistic, and more effective system,” says Corrina.
Tayshon is part of Ngā Rangatira Mō Āpōpō and named the role and says the introduction of a whānau navigator for the criminal court is about changing the justice system for future tamariki and opening up pathways for them to positive futures.
“Tamariki and rangatahi with a parent in prison are not just statistics or problems to be solved, we are living and breathing futures of this motu. No one is born a criminal, they are shaped by the environment they grow up in, many tamariki and rangatahi have never been offered a different pathway or had people who believe in their potential,” says Tayshon.
“If there had been a Kaiwhatu Kura Whānau to walk alongside my whānau — someone to guide us, uplift us, help build a plan for our future — I would’ve known that I mattered, that I was seen and was important. The pain of intergenerational harm is real but so is our hope. Tamariki and rangatahi with a parent in prison don’t want sympathy, we want systems that protect us.”
Comments