In 2011, Tā Kim Workman, founder of Rethinking Crime and Punishment made a courageous decision. He invited into his office any young person in Pōneke Wellington who wanted to be involved in working towards his vision for a tolerant, safe and inclusive society through restoration, not incarceration. 

Young people showed up. The mantle was passed. JustSpeak was formed and a new generation of young people were ready to take a stand for change. And since 2015 our organisation has made significant progress. 

Five years on, it is time to take stock of what we have achieved together and look to where we are heading on our journey. The full impact report will be available soon, however we’re hugely excited to begin sharing this with you today.

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Between 2015-2020, our work has led to increased awareness on the issues and opportunities related to our criminal justice system. We’ve achieved this through a huge number of public activities, including;

• 14 Reports, including The Case Against Prisons, How to Talk About Cannabis and Māori and the Criminal Justice System
• 11 campaigns, including raising the Youth Justice Age, restoring the right to vote for prisoners and for health-based drug laws
• 320+ media appearances and 45 press releases
• More than 110 public events, screenings, exhibitions, presentations and workshops, with an estimated 5,200 attending and 31,900 watching online
• A national series of dinners encouraging productive, values-based conversations about the justice system
• A touring exhibition that centered the lived experience of those who have been incarcerated, unlocking a deeper understanding of the prison system through art and personal storytelling 
• A vision for the future — outlined in A Message from 2040 — viewed more than 223,000 times

As a result, public and political narratives are changing, paving the way for transformation in the future. We’ve also contributed to these tangible outcomes already:

• The Youth Justice Age being raised to 18
• People serving a sentence of three years or less have been granted the right to vote
• The halting of the proposed billion-dollar mega prison at Waikeria
• Ending the Police Armed Response Team pilot and the initiation of a review in Police bias and practice

We did this through the work of our small, but fiercely dedicated core team, together with our equally committed broader community.  This includes:

• 150 volunteers helping to campaign, advocate and support our work
• $1.5m raised to power the movement, through grants, donations and fundraising
• More than 10,047 people have been empowered to take action — including signing a petition, writing to MPs demanding change and hosting events 

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We’ve never doubted that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. We’ve never doubted the power of young people and unique role they have to play. We’ve never doubted the vision for a just and flourishing Aotearoa is possible. And the movement has never been stronger than today.

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To see our plans looking forward, check out our strategic approach for 2021 and Beyond.

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Can you help power more of this work?

Right now, we're looking for an additional 391 people to give $55 per month.

That would fully cover our core costs, enabling us to focus on delivering our strategic initiatives and drive impact. Of course you can make one-off donations too, or monthly donations for another amount, every bit counts and we are hugely grateful for each and every contribution.

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