The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill is currently awaiting its second reading. This legislation will enshrine Young Serious Offender (YSO) Declarations in law, with a Military-Style Academy (MSA) Order as a sentencing option. Timing for the remaining stages of the Bill is subject to scheduling of the Government’s legislative programme.
In the interim, Oranga Tamariki is preparing a second MSA programme, with a confirmed start date of 9 March 2026. This will operate under existing legislation, with a voluntary cohort of rangatahi. It will build on the 2024/25 Pilot.
The MSA cohort will involve 10 young people assessed as likely to benefit from participating in the voluntary programme, which is designed as an intensive therapeutic intervention for young people with a history of serious and repeat offending.
The residential component of the programme will be delivered at Te Au Rere a Te Tonga youth justice residence in Palmerston North, using the same infrastructure as the Pilot.
The community phase involves rangatahi being on a Supervision Order. The length of the Supervision Orders will vary by individual.
The Pilot programme evaluation showed promising results in driving change for participants. The second programme will incorporate lessons learnt from the Pilot and will provide further learnings to assist in the implementation of MSA programmes once the YSO legislation is passed.