Tiria, formerly Malatest International.

The second preliminary report for the evaluation focuses on rangatahi transitions from the residential phase to the community.

This second preliminary report covers the first three months in the community (November 2024 – January 2025). Findings also include reflections on transition preparation during the residential
phase.

The first preliminary evaluation report covered the residential phase including the development of MSA, the composition of the residential phase, what was working well and opportunities to
strengthen the residential phase.

Early outcomes and the remainder of the community phase will be the focus of a final evaluation report in October 2025 once rangatahi have experienced the full MSA programme. The final report will summarise evaluation findings and provide recommendations to inform future delivery of the MSA and the design and delivery of youth justice programmes. (From the Executive summary). See the website for the first preliminary evaluation report and related documents.

Background:
The Military-Style Academy Pilot is part of a wider set of initiatives the Government is undertaking to address serious youth offending. This includes the new Young Serious Offender (YSO) declaration for young offenders, to ensure they face tougher consequences and are better supported to turn their lives around.
Young people with a YSO declaration could be sent to a new Military-Style Academy, be subjected to a greater use of electronic and judicial monitoring, and Police will have the power to arrest without warrant for non-compliance with conditions of an order or a breach of bail conditions.

This work supports the Government’s target to reduce serious repeat youth offending by 15 percent. Legislation to create the YSO declaration will be introduced before the end of 2024. The YSO legislation is required before the military-style academies can be rolled out on an ongoing basis. Meanwhile, the Military-Style Academy Pilot will begin in late July 2024 and will be progressed under existing legislation.

The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill continues its progress through Parliament (as at 17 June 2025).

Record #9277