Wheke KAWANA - 11/11/2016

Parole Hearing
Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

Wheke KAWANA

Hearing: 11 November 2016 at New Zealand Parole Board, Wellington via AVL to [Withheld]

Members of the Board:

  • Ms S Pakura (Panel Convenor)
  • Ms W Taumaunu
  • Mr G Crowley

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Wheke Kawana, 22, appears today for first consideration of parole.  Mr Kawana is serving a sentence of two years nine months for serious violent offending.

2. Mr Kawana has a concerning history.  There are multiple convictions for violent offending.  There are 16 convictions in his history, 10 of those are for violence.

3. The offending occurred whilst Mr Kawana was on parole.  He has been assessed as having a low ability to comply with any form of sentence other than a full-time custodial one.

4. Mr Kawana was due to appear at the hearing today.  We have been advised that Mr Kawana has waived his right to appear.

5. He is currently in the high security unit.  During this period he has been subject to seven incidences.

6. The PED is 4 November 2016. The sentence expiry is 3 September 2018. The prison security classification is high. The RocRoi is 0.79802.

7. Mr Kawana is an active [Withheld]  member.  He sees the gang as his family, where he has a sense of belonging and acceptance and no one judges him.  It is reported that he is keen to continue the gang lifestyle on release.  It is his intention to get his colours as soon as he can.

8. Mr Kawana is assessed as a high risk of re-offending and a high risk of harm to others in the community.

9. He is waitlisted for the STURP Programme and the [Withheld].  Mr Kawana is also interested in pursuing work-based training.

10. There is no release plan for the Board to consider at this time.  At this stage Mr Kawana is an untreated violent offender.

11. There is much work that needs to be done and Mr Kawana needs to focus his attention particularly on his rehabilitation pathway.

12. Given the above circumstances, Mr Kawana has not reached the stage where we can be satisfied that the risk he poses to the safety of the community is other than undue.

13. Accordingly parole is declined.  We will schedule to see Mr Kawana in November 2017, or at the very latest at the end of that month.

Ms S Pakura
Panel Convenor