Military-style academies w/ Children’s Commissioner Jane Searle: 22nd September, 2026
Last Thursday, the The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill passed its final reading through urgency. The bill is most notable for giving Youth Court the power to sentence serious young offenders to Military-Style Academies. These academies have been controversial, a similar programme was introduced under John Key but didn’t last, and the pilot programmes for this version of bootcamps had a high rate of reoffending and multiple escapees. Concerns have been raised over the academy's effectiveness and ability to deal with children who have complex mental health…
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