To be held next week at the University’s Pipitea campus, the conference aims to draw on both streams of knowledge for fresh approaches to justice and reintegration.
“New Zealand’s restorative approaches within the adult criminal justice system are largely restricted to the diversion and pre-sentence areas,” says Dr Tom Noakes-Duncan, conference organiser and lecturer with the University’s Chair in Restorative Justice.
“At the same time, our rate of imprisonment has reached one of the highest in the developed world, with projections only set to increase. This has had a disproportionate impact on Māori.
“This conference brings together scholars, practitioners and policy professionals, both nationally and internationally, to identify ways that better achieve restorative outcomes that are grounded in our own indigenous soil, and generate an agreed set of proposals that could serve as a guide for future policy and practice.”
Speakers include Irish lecturer in restorative practices Tim Chapman, restorative lawyer and trainer Lorenn Walker, restorative justice trainer and facilitator Janine Carroll, indigenous studies professor Tracey McIntosh (Tūhoe), and lawyer Moana Jackson (Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou).
The conference is being held in honour of Dr Kim Workman, adjunct research fellow and honorary doctorate recipient at Victoria University of Wellington (Ngāti Kahungunu and Rangitaane), who will also speak.
Topics will include the use of in-prison restorative justice programmes to support the accountability of detainees and address the needs of victims, the development of restorative prisons, restorative approaches to helping offenders deal with the past and re-enter society successfully, and the relationship between restorative approaches and Te Ao Māori.
The conference is hosted by the Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice, Professor Chris Marshall, and the Brian Picot Chair in Ethical Leadership, Professor Karin Lasthuizen.
“Victoria University of Wellington is committed to creating dialogue around restorative justice practice and guiding future policy,” says Professor Marshall.
The conference is sponsored by the Borrin Foundation and the Department of Corrections.