Sorry to those who are following this blog – it has been a while since my last post.  Have been really busy on a number of fronts, including working on the documentary I’m doing with Mike Hinchey on criminal justice reform.  Have had some wonderful meetings with some amazing people whom I am not at liberty to speak about just yet.

In early December I was invited down to Rotorua to cover the graduation of six participants in Billy McFarlane’s Pūwhakamua program – @tikangaaroro  https://www.facebook.com/tikanga.aroro

Billy has been facing huge obstacles in the running of his program. Despite the government’s sweeping justice reform which aims to reduce recidivism rates, and the support of judges who put offenders into Billy’s program as part of their parole conditions, Corrections was acting to block this.  They were prohibiting these parolees from attending the program the judges ordered them to attend. What??????  Billy fought this and  Corrections have been forced to apologise for banning offenders from a course designed to help rehabilitate them.  Totally messed up.

Check it out here on Maori TV https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/politics/corrections-forced-apologise-banning-offenders-course  and https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=12094889&fbclid=IwAR18EsNIGeXrvcaNQ_MsAHXVxfqqxuPHzyzT9JxF1psi4tzQeakJL9lZwFo

I really encourage anyone who is moved by what Billy is doing to please support him in whatever way you can.  He is carrying a huge load, practically alone, with the incredible support of his partner Brownyn.

Back to the graduation – the guest speaker there was Brownie Mane.  Brownie was the former Black Power Taranaki leader who ordered the gang hit on Chris Crean in New Plymouth 20 years ago.  Chris was a witness to a brutal gang slaying and agreed to testify about it and so he was therefore murdered to prevent him testifying.  Brownie was convicted to life along with three others.  A couple of years ago there was a movie made about this murder called Resolve – https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/94891316/resolve-chris-crean-remembered-as-courageous-in-tvnzs-latest-sunday-theatre   It’s a really good movie and worth the watch.

Brownie underwent a huge transformation and was granted parole about 2 years ago, after serving 19yrs.  A big part of his transformation was his reconnecting with his roots through tikanga and te reo programs.  He became an inspirational agent for change and worked with Corrections to give presentations in prisons.  He is an awesome man and has so much to share and give.

In a post on the Maori Prison Support Services’ Facebook page, Brownie described Crean as an “innocent man” and that his time spent behind bars was “nothing” compared to the pain he put the Crean family through. “There are no amount of apologies I can ever say to compensate this family for what I did,” Mane said. “I can never wipe up all the tears that have fallen by this family for their loved one so I will never be seeking forgiveness for what I’ve done.  “The 19 years I spent in prison may seem like a long time to some. In my view, this 19 years is nothing compared to my victim’s family. Even though it’s nearly been 22 years since this crime happened, I can only imagine that their pain and hurt is still very raw and that it must only feel like yesterday for them that this devastating event took place.”

Brownie’s presentation at the graduation ran for about an hour and was both brutal and riveting. Brownie absolutely shattered any idea of so-called “glory” attached to going to prison or joining a gang. It was one of the most moving presentations I have been privileged to witness. I’ll speak a little bit more about his presentation sometime soon.

As a result of meeting Brownie and developing a friendship with him, we traveled up north to spend some time with him and interview him for out documentary. One of the major “reveals” after our trip to Rotorua and the graduation there, was to learn that Brownie had been a major influence on Billy and was one of his mentors.

Before going down to Rotorua, I did a little research on Brownie, knowing that he was going to be there. That is when I stumbled upon the Facebook page of Stephanie Crean. Stephanie was two years old when Brownie ordered the murder of her dad Chris Crean. When the guys who were sent to kill Chris first came to his house and knocked on the door with weapons in hand, Chris came to the door with two-year-old Stephanie in his arms. The men fled but were ordered back to kill him even if it meant killing the baby in his arms.

Stephanie and her mom have undergone amazing personal transformations because of their deeply embracing the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. This has led to both Stephanie and her mom actually forgiving Brownie and the other killers of Chris. But that is an amazing story. I’ll get to in my next post.