Two of the nine teens in the Government’s bootcamp pilot are missing in the days after another participant died in a car accident. 

It comes as the Children’s Minister speaks of the “devastating” impact last week’s death of one of the participants will be having on the nine other boys in the pilot and its staff. 

Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive Tusha Penny, appearing before a Parliament select committee, confirmed two of the nine pilot participants had absconded and their location was currently unknown. 

The Herald has requested further comment from Oranga Tamariki and police on the matter. 

The pilot participants were released from the Palmerston North youth justice facility in October and had been in the community phase of the programme. 

Under questioning from Labour’s children’s spokeswoman Willow-Jean Prime, Penny acknowledged two of the pilot participants had been arrested with one set of the charges being withdrawn over the course of the programme. 

“Do I think there will be future offending? Absolutely. 

“It’s tough and I’m not stepping away from that. We’re not going to give up.” 

Penny noted how the pilot had been “incredibly politicised”. 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been contacted for comment. 

Oranga Tamariki yesterday confirmed one of the pilot participants had absconded during the tangi for one of his fellow participants who died last week. 

Penny said the second participant absconded the day after the tangi, which was held on Tuesday. 

It was understood a pilot participant was the single fatality in a horrific crash on Wednesday last week on State Highway 1 near Tīrau involving three vehicles, including a tourist bus, which injured 14 others. 

In a statement, Penny confirmed a participant had died “as a result of an accident” but gave no further details, citing a police investigation. 

Police did not answer the Herald’s questions about the incident. 

Penny said Oranga Tamariki was offering support to the boy’s whānau. The agency was also conducting an investigation alongside police. 

The crash that claimed the life of a young bootcamp pilot participant prompted a heavy emergency response. Photo / Supplied 

Speaking to the Herald, Children’s Minister Karen Chhour said she was shocked by the incident and referenced the devastation the pilot participants and staff would be feeling. 

“They have a connection with this young man and it’d be quite devastating for them to go through this right now as well,” she said. 

“Oranga Tamariki is supporting all these young men and the people that have worked with these young men because this is devastating for all of us.” 

She confirmed Oranga Tamariki would be “doing everything we can” to support the boy’s whānau, alongside the other participants who she believed had “become like a family”. 

The 10 teens, all of whom aged 15-17 and had been recidivist offenders, had been residing in the community after completing the pilot’s three-month in-residence phase at Palmerston North’s youth justice facility. In the remaining nine months, the teens had been placed with whānau or social services and supported by personal mentors. 

Asked if she was aware if the young man had violated any of the pilot’s rules ahead of his death, Chhour cited the ongoing investigation. 

“It’s not appropriate for me to comment on the circumstances or anything that’s happened until this investigation’s happened.” 

The boy’s tangi [funeral] was held on Tuesday. Chhour said she attended in a personal capacity. 

“I’d met this young man, I was proud of what he was trying to achieve and I felt like supporting the family was the right thing to do,” she said. 

“I was very grateful for them allowing me to attend the funeral in support, especially for such a private and personal moment, to hear the stories and to hear how he was really proud of where he was going and what he was doing. 

“The family was really proud of what they were seeing as well [which] was a bit of a comfort to hear that.” 

Act leader David Seymour and Children's Minister Karen Chhour look at the type of footwear youth at the new military academy pilot would receive. Photo / RNZ 

It was at the boy’s tangi that the other bootcamp participant escaped police and Oranga Tamariki staff and is currently missing. Waikato police are seeking to arrest the participant for breaching compassionate bail. 

Oranga Tamariki yesterday said the boy who absconded had been granted bail on “compassionate grounds” to attend the tangi. 

Chhour said the boy had been in a youth justice facility, having re-offended since re-entering the community. 

She confirmed he was the same participant referenced in her statement on November 21, revealing how one of the 10 teens had allegedly re-offended. 

“I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity at a second chance,” she said at the time. 

“We were hopeful this would not occur, but we understand the complexities in the lives of these young people. Ultimately, what they do with these opportunities is up to them.” 

Chhour yesterday said it was the only incident of a pilot participant re-offending she was aware of. 

She said she didn’t see the boy abscond at the tangi and didn’t know when it occurred. 

“There’ll be more details that will come out once the investigation has happened, I wasn’t aware at the time that that had happened and I’m just disappointed at the end of the day that it did.” 

She wouldn’t say whether Oranga Tamariki or police had been in charge of monitoring the boy, claiming that was an “operational” matter. 

However, she said Oranga Tamariki and police staff were “working really hard in making sure that we locate this young man”. 

Asked whether this constituted a failure on Oranga Tamariki’s part, Chhour again cited the ongoing review. 

“I can’t really comment until I know the exact details and there will be a review into both incidents that will come my way and then I’ll know more detail.” 

Chhour couldn’t say when the investigations would be completed but described the review into the absconding incident as “rapid”. 

Last month, the Government passed legislation through its first reading which would enable judges to send young offenders to bootcamps by creating the Young Serious Offender category, a key plank of the Government’s law and order policy agenda. 

The legislation was expected to become law in March. 

Prime said it was “very tragic” the young man had passed away but she remained concerned about the Government’s bootcamps. 

“The Government needs to stop this harmful experiment and should not push ahead with their legislation to entrench them,” she told the Herald. 

“The Prime Minister should care.” 

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.