A 24-year-old Taranaki man who threatened hospital staff and sent dozens of menacing messages has been sentenced to seven months in prison, after restorative justice conferences became the defining feature of his case in New Plymouth District Court.
The sentencing, reported by RNZ, followed a series of incidents across 10 days in June and July, during which the man told a hospital worker 'I am trained to kill, I will take one of your lives', threatened a nurse, and sent 37 threatening messages to a former flatmate and her partner.
What happened in New Plymouth
Court documents show the offending began at Taranaki Base Hospital on 26 June, when staff removed the man from the emergency department for threatening behaviour. Later that night, while seeking medical assistance, he became agitated in the reception area, threw objects, and made the threat against the hospital worker's life.
Days earlier, he had breached a protection order by going to a protected person's home, becoming aggressive and refusing to leave despite repeated requests.
The following week, after being told he was not welcome at the home of a woman he had previously flatted with, he sent her 37 messages relating to her safety and property, and sent her partner messages including: 'I'll blow your f***ing face off' and 'I'll cave your f***ing head in with my bare hands'.
Why restorative justice shaped the sentencing
What set this case apart was not the offending itself but what happened afterwards. The man, who was experiencing mental health issues linked to substance abuse at the time, took part in two restorative justice conferences before sentencing.
Judge Turitea Bolstad praised the process at sentencing.
'They were very good. You took responsibility, you acknowledged that this shouldn't have happened. And you did something about it,' she said.
During one conference, the man apologised in terms the judge recounted in court.
'I deeply apologise and I wouldn't use my psychosis as an excuse. There is no excusable fact to treat people like that,' he said. 'In my present state of mind, I am able to recognise this and I hate it.'
A hospital representative told him directly: 'We're there to help anybody who needs help, you included. But behaviour like that will not be tolerated.'
'It's disgusting behaviour,' the man agreed from the dock.
'Well said,' Judge Bolstad responded.
What the victims wanted
According to the NZ Herald's coverage, the judge said the restorative justice reports showed the victims wanted one thing: for the man to 'get well and to stay well'.
Defence lawyer Jacob Bourke told the court his client's drug use had largely driven the offending, and that the man now recognised it made him erratic and impulsive. While in custody, he had engaged with a mental health nurse and was appropriately medicated. Bourke said the man demonstrated genuine remorse.
Judge Bolstad started at 12 months' imprisonment, then applied discounts for his guilty pleas, his remorse, the positive conferences, and the steps he had taken to address his behaviour. He was sentenced to seven months, leaving only a couple of weeks to serve because of time already spent in custody. She noted, however, that he had previous convictions, including for violence and threatening to kill, and had struggled to sustain efforts to address his drug issues.
How restorative justice works in Aotearoa
The man's case was one of hundreds the Taranaki Restorative Justice Trust handles each year, averaging 370 cases annually over the past three years.
Trust manager Delwyn Bennett said the process could help people see the human being behind the labels of 'victim' and 'offender'.
'That doesn't minimise the harm or excuse the behaviour. It simply recognises that people are more than the worst thing that has happened to them or the worst thing they have done,' she said.
A typical conference brings together the person harmed, the person responsible, their support people, and two facilitators. Before they meet, facilitators work with each party separately to build trust, assess safety, and ensure participation is genuinely voluntary.
'One of our core principles is self-determination. We never want someone to feel they have to participate simply because a judge, lawyer, family member or anyone else thinks it's a good idea,' Bennett said.
International research supports the approach. A two-decade review of programmes, cited by Grokipedia's overview of restorative justice, found consistently high satisfaction rates among both victims and offenders compared with traditional court outcomes, alongside greater willingness among victims to forgive. Similar principles underpin academic work on dignity-centred justice, as a University of Padua analysis of Martha Nussbaum's capabilities framework notes.
Accountability, not easy apologies
Bennett was candid about the limits of the process. Some people initially participate because a conference can be viewed positively at sentencing, she said, but their motivation does not determine what they take from it.
'Saying 'I'm sorry' can be relatively easy. Being genuinely sorry, understanding the harm you've caused and being prepared to do something about it is quite different,' she said.
Success, she added, is not measured only by apology or forgiveness. It can mean getting answers to long-held questions, or simply leaving with greater understanding. Choosing not to participate can itself be a successful outcome.
'Forgiveness is a very personal thing, and it is never something we should expect or ask of someone who has been harmed,' Bennett said. 'Restorative justice isn't about achieving a perfect ending or creating a story where everyone hugs and forgives each other.'
FAQ
What is restorative justice in New Zealand?
It is a voluntary process that brings together the person harmed and the person responsible, with facilitators, to discuss the impact of offending and pathways to accountability. The Taranaki Restorative Justice Trust alone handles about 370 cases a year.
Can restorative justice affect a sentence?
Yes. In this case, Judge Turitea Bolstad discounted the man's sentence partly because of the positive restorative justice conferences and the steps he took to address his behaviour.
Do victims have to forgive the offender?
No. Delwyn Bennett said forgiveness is never expected or requested, and success can simply mean a victim gets answers or feels heard.