Addressing serious youth offending

Published: July 8, 2024

The Government is committed to addressing child and youth offending and has set a target of reducing serious, repeat offending by 15%.

In 2024, the Government announced a range of initiatives to address this type of offending. They aim to hold serious and persistent young offenders accountable for their behaviour, while also supporting rehabilitation.

There are plans to introduce a new Young Serious Offender (YSO) declaration and Military-Style Academies (MSA).

Oranga Tamariki was directed to lead the establishment of a Military-Style Academy Pilot, working alongside other agencies and community groups.

For more information about the MSA Pilot, and the YSO declaration legislation, please see the Military-Style Academies page. You can also refer to the Fact Sheets below.

Fact sheets