Source: National Party – Headline: Better outcomes for Pasifika under National
The rate of Pacific youth offending more than halved over National’s time in government proving that National had the right plans and policies in place to improve the lives of Pasifika, National’s Pacific People’s Spokesperson Alfred Ngaro says.
“This week we learned that the rate of Pacific youth offending decreased by a significant 61 per cent between 2009/10 and 2016/17.
“This follows the release of NCEA results showing that the number of Pacific students who achieved NCEA Level 2 had improved from just 50 per cent in 2008 to 81 percent last year.
“We know that a lack of education can lead to a young person offending so it’s no surprise that as Pacific student achievement goes up, Pacific youth offending goes down.
“But we also know that National’s focus on youth offending has made a real difference. Our targeted approach to reducing youth crime included the Youth Crime Action Plan, the Social Investment approach, Better Public Service targets and the Pasifika Court.
“There is still more to do, but with a 61 percent reduction in Pacific youth crime, it’s clear that what National was doing was working and we were on the right track.
“National’s concern is that we now have an Ardern-Peters Government that wants to move away from our targeted approach and go soft on crime.
“Pasifika have made big gains in the last decade and we cannot afford to put this all at risk. The Government needs to look at what was working and to continue where National left off.”