Bringing Restorative Justice to the Table
Restorative justice initiatives and challenges in New Zealand were the subject of discussion at a major cross-sector roundtable event recently hosted by Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice, Professor Chris Marshall.
Held with funding support from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) and co-hosted with the University of Waikato, the event brought more than 80 people to the table, including community restorative justice providers, non-government organisations, representatives from the New Zealand Defence Force, the New Zealand Police, the Department of Corrections, Child Youth and Family, and the Ministries of Education, Social Development and Justice, as well as academics and the judiciary.
Participants were asked to discuss the most important restorative practice initiatives underway in their sectors, along with three or four major challenges that need to be addressed, in policy and in practice, over the next three to five years in order to extend the reach and enhance the quality of restorative approaches in New Zealand.
American criminologist Professor Howard Zehr, considered to be a pioneer of the modern concept of restorative justice, was invited to deliver a concluding comment on the day. In his evaluation, Professor Zehr said the event was “probably the most substantive and energising restorative justice conference I’ve been a part of in a long time”.
“It does feel like New Zealand is at an important new stage in developing restorative justice in a variety of sectors,” he said. “I am interested in that, not only for New Zealand but for the important role New Zealand can continue to play in the international field of restorative justice.”
During the two-day event 18 panellists and four panel chairs each spoke for five minutes, with plenty of time allocated for audience engagement. There were panel sessions on restorative justice practices in the justice, education and social development sectors, as well as a session on restorative cities, focusing on the initiative underway in Whanganui.
“We hope that this event will lead to a greater multi-agency collaborative approach to restorative justice policy and practice,” says Professor Chris Marshall.
A written report on the roundtable is in progress.