For some Māori leaving prison, walking through the gates can be just the beginning of another battle.
Finding a place to live, getting access to healthcare, securing an income, and finding work can all become immediate challenges, and a lack of support could be making it harder for people to stay out of prison.
A new six-part TIAKI podcast series is examining what happens to whānau Māori after release, with researchers and people with lived experience speaking about the realities of rebuilding their lives outside the prison system.
“We had kairangahau with lived experience interviewing other whānau, and individuals with lived experience of coming out of prison, and some of the things we heard from those interviews was that it’s very hard to come out because you don’t have the support you need,” says Gabrielle Baker.
The issue is reflected in figures released by Ara Poutama Aotearoa in 2025. The data shows 31.4% of Māori released from prison were re-incarcerated within 12 months.
For researchers involved in the TIAKI series, the figures highlight a wider problem with the way people are supported after release.
Safe housing prevents re-incarceration
Without somewhere safe and stable to live, people leaving prison can struggle to establish the basic stability needed to find work, reconnect with whānau and access services.
“We know really well that housing status is one of the main that helps people stop re-offending, so if people have secure access to housing after they come out of prison, they are much more stable and therefore much less likely to be re-incarcerated,” says Emilie Rākete.
The podcast argues that stable housing can play an important role in reducing re-offending. It also questions what happens when people are released without that foundation.
The issue goes beyond individual responsibility, with researchers pointing to government rules and gaps in available services as barriers for people trying to transition back into the community.
For whānau Māori, those barriers can be even more significant when they are already dealing with the wider impacts of the justice system.
Spreading awareness
TIAKI is using the series to push those issues into the open, while questioning whether imprisonment is actually addressing the reasons people offend in the first place.
The series also looks at the difference between incarceration and support delivered in the community, raising questions about whether sending people to prison is achieving the long-term outcomes the justice system is aiming for.
“Some of the things we’re pointing out are the ridiculousness of government rules, the limited ways the government is providing support in a way that it’s almost no support, so we need to see some change to that,” says Baker.
Ultimately, the podcast is asking what happens after the sentence ends.
Because release from prison does not automatically mean someone has the housing, income, healthcare, or support needed to start again.
The TIAKI six-part podcast is available now on Apple Podcasts.
