Matakaua Ngaruaine ROUVI 29/3/2022

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Matakaua Ngaruaine ROUVI

Hearing: 29 March 2022

at Auckland South Corrections Facility via MS Teams

Members of the Board: Sir Ron Young – Chairperson

Dr G Coyle

Ms T Sharkey

Dr J Skipworth

In Attendance:                                  [withheld] - Case Manager

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Mr Rouvi, who is 63 years of age, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009.  His security classification is minimum.  He had previous convictions, including an indecent assault in 1976 and excess breath alcohol earlier.
  2. We last saw him in May 2021.  At that stage, he had completed the Saili Matagi Programme and the Drug Treatment Programme.  He was doing one-on-one counselling with a psychologist which was to help him prepare a safety plan.  We suggested he needed to do a comprehensive release plan, have guided releases, including to Pasifika in Hamilton, perhaps move to the Whare Oranga Ake or some form of self-care and, ultimately, perhaps Release to Work.
  3. As to the current position, Mr Rouvi provided a letter to us which he said was his safety plan.  It did not have the ingredients of a safety plan and was difficult to read.  It did not have any proper structure to it, and it was difficult to believe that that was the result of the work that had been done with the psychologist.
  4. Mr Rouvi did have a more structured safety plan from his work at Saili Matagi. He now needs to prepare a proper safety plan. The base could be his Saili Matagi safety plan and his Case Manager has agreed to work with him on that.  The psychologist noted that Mr Rouvi had a very limited understanding of his high risks and how to deal with them.
  5. Mr Rouvi behaves well in prison and works well in prison.  He has been accommodated in Auckland South Self-Care Units at the residences.
  6. Otherwise, we think, with proper accommodation and a completed safety plan, Mr Rouvi may well be a reasonable candidate for release.  He has had three guided releases to Hamilton.  Release to Work has not been possible because of COVID-19.
  7. It has been suggested that Mr Rouvi might be released to [withheld].  While that would be potentially an ideal release address for him, given what we understand to be a very long waitlist, it may be better for Corrections to investigate other forms of supported accommodation for Mr Rouvi.
  8. Today, Mr Rouvi somewhat struggled in his discussion with us.  It is difficult to know whether or not that was because of his limited English; his native language is Cook Island; or because [withheld].  No doubt, Corrections and/or Auckland South Prison will wish to review that concern to see whether in fact Mr Rouvi does have any [withheld] that we need to understand before his release.
  9. We will see Mr Rouvi again, therefore, by the end of October 2022.

Sir Ron Young

Chairperson