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After more than 20 hours, authorities are continuing to negotiate with four of the five youth offenders who escaped on to the roof of the Christchurch Youth Justice Facility, Te Puna Wai ō Tuhinapo.
Police were called to the facility shortly after 11am on Saturday after reports of a group of youths acting disorderly.
Oranga Tamariki Deputy Chief Executive Mike Bush said a staff member was injured in the incident and was taken to Christchurch hospital for minor injuries on Saturday.
“Oranga Tamariki staff, with assistance from police, are continuing to manage the incident at Te Puna Wai Tuhinapo youth justice facility near Christchurch,” he said in a statement just before 10pm.
“One young person has come down from the roof in the facility and four remain.”
READ MORE:
* Oranga Tamariki youth residences should be shut down: Children’s Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers
* Staffer injured, police negotiating as five offenders escape youth justice facility
* Youths spend hours on roof of justice facility after breaking out of unit
As of 8.30am on Sunday this situation remains.
In February, five young people spent several hours on the roof of a Canterbury youth justice facility after breaking out of their unit.
The youth facility has capacity for 40 rangatahi. It is one of four Oranga Tamariki youth justice residences in New Zealand, and the only one in the South Island.
The recent investigation into two members of staff accused of sexual misconduct has raised fresh concerns the agency is failing in its most basic responsibility to keep children safe.
Alden Williams/The Press
Four youths remain on the roof of Te Puna Wai ō Tuhinapo.
Children’s Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers, who has described the facilities as prison-like, said the agency acted swiftly when her office raised the alarm after an unannounced monitoring visit, but her long-standing concerns with the system have not been addressed.
“I have been clear that the current residential care system is not therapeutic, or rehabilitative,” Eivers said.
“At the core of the new investigation is the fact that residences are not even safe. I believe the residences need to be shut down and replaced with a system that’s fit for purpose.”
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