58030 (2024). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Justice

58030 (2024). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Justice: Does the Minister agree with the stated objectives of the Te Ao Marama project?

Hon Paul Goldsmith: I remain committed to the delivery of Te Ao Mārama. Based on experience here and overseas, Te Ao Mārama expects to see a reduction in reoffending and the severity of offending. It also supports the needs of victims and whānau to ensure they feel heard and respected, and that they experience a better justice system. The Programme intends to achieve this through taking the best practice approaches and processes from specialist courts integrating these across District Court locations. It also involves bringing the strength of iwi and communities into the court through local partnerships to design and develop wrap-around court services tailored to meet each community’s needs. The Programme is undertaking an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Te Ao Mārama interventions across the eight Te Ao Mārama locations. It will test whether key parts of the initiative are working, analysing data and locations to inform decisions for the next phase of delivery.