Triennial Youth Court Judges' Conference

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, CookIsland, Niuean and Tokelauan.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and myself here tonight, to this beautiful winery.

We have enjoyed a busy start to the first phase of the time as Governor-General now 197 days under the belt.  Susan and I have jointly attended many events throughout New Zealand and we have met with literally hundreds of exceptional New Zealanders.

It was more than six months ago now that I spoke at my swearing -in ceremony.  In that first formal address, I expressed my great love for the beauty and experiences New Zealand and her people offer.  I am pleased to report that none of that has dimmed.

Far from it, my appreciation for New Zealand has only increased.  Almost every day we have observed the wide range of capabilities and achievements of New Zealanders - and I have witnessed the difference so many individuals are making to their communities.

My confidence and trust in what we as a nation can achieve has only strengthened since taking on this role.

You might think I digress.  However, I wanted to share that reflection with you because it relates to the joy of being here tonight.

That is so for a number of reasons not least for the fact that it has brought me back in touch with familiar faces.  As wonderful as it is to meet new people every day, there is also something reassuring about reconnecting with old friends and colleagues such as many of those I see around the room tonight.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I am pleased because this Conference - and the work it represents - is ultimately dedicated to young people, who are the future of our communities.

Your work is about finding ways for all young people to live full lives in which they can contribute positively to the communities of which they are part.

In this sense, your work helps build stronger, more trusting and more affirming communities - those very same communities that expressed a desire to meet in that first address.

As a former working Judge myself, I am only too aware of the consequences of paying insufficient attention to this area of the law - and the havoc child and youth offending can cause in our society.

I am also aware of the considerable public pressure that you, as Youth Court Judges, face.  This area of the law is, I believe, widely misunderstood.

There exists a public perception that youth crime is out of control.  This is not quite the case, I am almost certain.  In fact, great work is being done at all levels within our communities to reduce youth crime and divert potential child and youth offending before it even happens.

As you will know, a considerable proportion of youth offending is not dealt with before it even reaches court.  The young people that ultimately come before you in a court of law are generally much more serious or regular offenders, including violent offenders.

We must acknowledge, however, that seriously violent offending does appear to be on the rise.  This is a concerning trend and it is nigh impossible to identify its exact triggers.

Suffice to say there is a multitude of causes and we must continue to work hard, at all levels of society, to combat the trend where we can.

What the statistics and the reporting do not tell us, however, is the extraordinary work being carried out within our communities guide potentially young offenders away from a life of crime.

This hugely important work is being carried out by many government and non-government organisations, from the top of the North Island to the far south, wherever there is a need.

This work is making a difference.

Right here in Napier, for example, I am advised that there is an exceptional programme underway to reintroduce the most critically disadvantaged young people into mainstream education.

The Nikau Centre was established after one highly motivated Police Youth Aid Officer recognised a need to educate severely emotionally damaged children - mainly from the neighbourhood of Maraenui where many families are said to have gang connections.

These intermediate school age children have been identified as having the top one percent of critical needs.  They require intensive care and attention to redress serious emotional injury sustained as a result, it is said, of chronic or acute neglect and violence in their home.

The programme provides each child with an individualised educational and emotional re-learning programme in a highly specialised environment - with the one objective of re-introducing them into mainstream education.

The challenges for the programme are many and daunting - but it has had success.  I am advised that nearly 80 percent of these young people transitioned back to school managed to stay there for at least a year.

To many, this ay sound like only modest success.  But this figure represents a second chance at life for these young people.

It also represents the first time they have been taught they are worth something.  This is a strong lesson for a child who has believed their whole life they were worth nothing.

This early intervention is a crucial step in the process towards diverting children and young people away from crime.  They are an important link in the youth justice chain.

Programmes like the Nikau Centre are hugely important for the work they do to introduce young people to an alternative to crime.  They do not, and cannot, work in isolation, however. 

They require the support of their communities.  The Nikau Centre, for example, operates with the support of - among others - the Lions Club, Presbyterian Support, Guardian Trust, Birthright, DARE, Police Youth Aid, Napier City Council and Government agencies.

Thus, the prevention of youth crime must be a community effort - as you know more than most.

A well-known Maori proverb emphasises the importance of working together as a community to succeed in any project:

Kaua e rangiruatia te h o te hoe; e kore t ttou
Waka e ki uta.

Do not lift the paddle out of unison or our canoe will never reach the shore.

The job of the Youth Court Judge is a critical part of this effort, by applying the principles of youth justice for the best possible outcome.  It is a highly specialised field and carries with it great responsibility.

I congratulate you for the work you do and I urge you to use this Conference as an opportunity to share your learnings and your great wisdom.  New Zealand engages with leading world trends in youth justice and I encourage continuance of development of this important area of the law.

I often like to leave an audience with a challenge, or wero.  This is somewhat more tricky tonight, given many of you are my erstwhile peers and you have great knowledge in this area which I continue to respect.

However, I shall try.  This is my wero:

Keep challenging the status quo.  Do not allow yourself to become numb to the young people who come before you, and their stories of abuse and neglect.

Instead, always find ways to reinvigorate your enthusiasm for changing the lost of our most disadvantaged young people.  Look beyond the courtroom for inspiration, look to the communities which work with these children, look to your colleagues, look at what is happening overseas and always stay open to new ways of thinking.

If you can continue to do this, you will further refine the tools you have to help change the future of our communities.

I began speaking in all the New Zealand realm languages.  May I close by speaking in Maori issuing greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours.

No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora koutou katoa