Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Defence Force "advised" on the new boot camp course being set up for young offenders, but Oranga Tamariki will be leading them.
It comes after it was revealed Defence Force staff running the six-week Limited Service Volunteer course suffered serious mental distress after struggling to deal with violent and at-risk youth.
Luxon told Morning Report the new course would take the best parts of successful existing programmes and do a better job in areas that had failed previously.
Kainga Ora CEO steps down amid government overhaul
"We're putting together a pilot in July with 10 young people to see if you can get a programme that actually works."
It would be led by Oranga Tamariki, he said. Though the Defence Force had been involved in early stages.
"They've advised into programme development, particularly the residential component as to what sort of things are needed there, as have the police, as have many other community organisations that are doing some good work in that space."
'Only going to make things worse'
Youth organisation Ara Taiohi was still questioning why the government was pushing ahead with boot camps at all.
Youth advocates challenge Police Minister's support for boot camps
"How about backing what is shown to work," chief executive Jane Zintl told Morning Report.
"The last time that military style academies were put in place in this country, from 2003 to 2013, young people that participated in those programmes within 12 months 86 percent had re-offended.
"So why would we put a whole lot of resource and money into a programme that at its core is shown not to work?"
The young people involved didn't have the brain function for the type of boot camp to work, and most came from challenging situations, she said.
"You're talking about a number of young people with highly complex challenging situations who are put into a military style academy that is only going to make things worse and then you're turning to community groups, youth workers... and having made it worse somehow then you're going to see wrap around support make better outcomes."
Instead that wrap around support should be the starting point, Zintl said.