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NZ Howard League Celebrating Success And Expansion Of Its Driving Programme
Over 2000 offenders and ex-prisoners have been given a second chance with a driving programme in the North helping people off the pathway to prison and into work.
NZ Howard League CEO Mike Williams says Monday’s event is to celebrate particularly the work of its Senior Instructor Amy Clark and Corrections Contract Manager Interventions Mark Lynds.
“Amy and Mark are a model of how this programme can function at its very best. Amy herself has achieved over 1000 licences since she started with the programme in mid 2017, a fantastic accomplishment and proof of her hard work and commitment to changing lives for the better in her community.”
“Since Amy began, we’ve grown our presence in the North by another Whangarei Instructor and Instructors in Kaikohe and Kaitaia and we’ve helped a number of people into their Class 2 and 5 licences as well” said Mike Williams.
At Monday’s event, which will be attended by new Whangarei Labour MP Emily Henderson, Police and Justice staff, Mike Williams will present Mark Lynds and the Whangarei Corrections Staff with a NZ Howard League partnership award. “In 2016 the NZ Howard League was Corrections Partner of Year and so this year we’re returning the favour.”
Mr Williams says each driving programme costs about the same as keeping one person in prison for one year “There’s no downside to these programmes. We create safer, legal drivers, we help keep them out of prison and into work. Each participant has one on one time with the Instructors and we stay with them until they’re able to pass so there’s a lot of mentoring that goes on”.
According to Impact Lab, a social research company headed by Sir Bill English, for every dollar the Crown spends on the Howard League Driving Programme it receives $3.26 in return in real social benefits.
The NZ Howard League runs 17 driving programmes around the North Island; 14 funded by the Provincial Growth Fund and three by NZTA Waka Kotahi.
Details for Monday’s event:
12pm
start
Whangarei Community Corrections
Centre
26/30 Walton St,
Whangarei
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