11. Justice That Heals, Protects, and Prevents

In this episode, Nigel McFall from the Unity Party explains why real justice starts long before a crime happens.

It’s about fixing broken foundations, supporting kids and families before they fall through the cracks, offering real pathways out — and bringing hard accountability for those who keep choosing harm.

From the Mana Restoration Programme to supporting kids in schools, breaking gang cycles, and preventing harm to children, this episode outlines Unity’s vision for justice with both a heart and a spine.

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Transcript

Piecing Together Unity – Podcast Episode

Episode Title: Justice That Heals, Protects, and Prevents

INTRO

Kia ora, hello, and welcome to Piecing Together Unity.

I’m Nigel McFall, the founder of the Unity Party, and today I want to talk about justice — and why Unity’s approach starts long before a crime ever happens.

Because here’s the truth — if all we do is argue about being tough on crime or soft on crime, we’ve already missed the point.

At Unity, we believe justice starts with how we raise our children, how we support families, and how we respond when someone starts struggling long before they offend.

Most people sitting in prison today didn’t wake up one morning and decide to become criminals.
 They were shaped by broken foundations — violence, neglect, addiction, poverty — all the things that create disconnection and survival mode.

If we fix those foundations, we reduce crime before it happens.
 But if someone refuses every chance to change, if they choose to keep harming others, that’s when accountability comes down hard.

That’s justice with a heart and a spine — and it’s exactly what Unity stands for.

Fixing Foundations – Saving Children Now

If we’re serious about reducing crime, we have to stop thinking of justice as something that happens after the fact.

True justice starts when we make sure today’s kids don’t become tomorrow’s offenders.

I’ve read the files. I’ve seen the stories. And they all follow the same heartbreaking script.

Most of the people filling our prisons didn’t get there because of one bad decision.
 They got there because they were raised in survival mode — homes filled with violence, neglect, addiction, and instability.

These kids don’t learn how to process emotions or solve problems — they learn that fists solve problems, that adults can’t be trusted, and that belonging comes from fear, not love.

If we want to change outcomes, we have to step in early — in the classroom, in the home, and in the community — and change what these kids learn about themselves and the world.

That’s why Unity believes every school needs full-time trauma-trained mental health support, not just a counsellor who visits once a week.

No child should go hungry, and no family should be left so desperate that joining a gang looks like their only way to survive.

And schools need to teach more than just reading and writing — they need to teach emotional skills, so kids learn how to process anger, sadness, and fear without exploding or shutting down.

This is prevention at the roots — because the best way to stop a crime is to make sure the kid who might commit it never feels like they have to.

Restoring Mana – A Second Chance for Those Who’ve Earned It

Not every offence should follow someone for life — especially when that person has done the hard work to change.

That’s why Unity will introduce the Mana Restoration Programme — a way for people to apply to have their convictions erased if they’ve taken responsibility, stayed offence-free, and built a life that reflects who they’ve become — not who they were.

There are two pathways into this programme — because not every story is the same.

First, there are people who made one-off, non-violent mistakes — like drink driving or a minor drug offence.
 For them, this isn’t about a lifelong pattern — it’s about a dumb decision when they were young, a moment they regret, but something they never repeated.

Second, there are people whose offending was a symptom of something deeper — addiction, trauma, or serious mental health struggles.
 Their crime wasn’t just a bad choice — it was part of a bigger fight they were losing at the time.
 But since then, they’ve walked a therapeutic pathway — they’ve faced the addiction, done the hard work in therapy, or found the right support to heal.

Both types of people — the ones who made a single mistake and the ones who fought their way out of a much deeper hole — would be eligible to apply to have their record wiped clean.

Because here’s the truth — labels are powerful.
 A conviction isn’t just something the system holds over you — it becomes a label you hold over yourself.

It’s easy to start believing:
 "I’m a criminal."
"I’m just a screw-up."
"This is who I am now."

And once someone believes that label, it can feel easier to lean into it than to fight against it.

The Mana Restoration Programme breaks that cycle — not by pretending the past didn’t happen, but by recognising the work it takes to truly change.

It says:
 "You owned your past. You did the work. You built a better life. And now you deserve to have your mana restored — because that old label no longer fits."

And when someone’s mana is restored, the effects ripple outward.
 They see themselves differently — and so do their tamariki, their whānau, their employers, and their community.

This isn’t about being soft.
 It’s about rewarding real change, so that people who’ve turned their life around aren’t dragged back by a label from a life they no longer live.

And maybe most importantly, it sends a message to anyone still stuck in that all-or-nothing thinking — wondering if change is even worth it.

It says:
 "If they could turn their life around and restore their mana, so can you."

That’s what restorative justice looks like — accountability when it’s needed, but restoration when it’s earned.

Gangs – Real Choices, Real Consequences

When I worked in Corrections, I read hundreds of files — and the same story showed up again and again.

So many gang members didn’t choose the life — they were born into it.

They wore the patch before they could walk.
 They were taken to the pad before they went to school.
 The gang was their family, because it was the only family they had.

That’s why Unity’s approach isn’t just crack down and walk away — it’s break the chain so no child gets born into that life again.

We’ll work directly with Māori leaders, iwi, hapū, and community groups to build a genuine pathway out — not just for individuals, but for whole whānau.

That pathway includes:

• Safety, because leaving a gang can be dangerous.
• Real jobs and training, because you can’t leave with nothing to go to.
• And support for the whole family, because if your whānau is still in the gang, you’re likely to get dragged back in.

But — if you refuse that hand, if you choose to stay in the life and keep harming your community, then you get the consequences that come with it.

Stronger penalties for gang crime.
 Real enforcement to stop recruitment of kids.
 No excuses.

This isn’t about hating gangs — it’s about loving the kids growing up inside them right now.

And if you’re listening to this — and you’re in the life, or you’ve been in the life — I want you to close your eyes for a moment.

Think about the way you were raised.
 What you saw.
 What you felt.
 What you survived.

Now ask yourself — is that the life you want for your tamariki? Your mokopuna? The people you love?

Because if the answer’s no, then you already know why this pathway matters.
 We can’t change where we came from — but together, we can change where the next generation is heading.

Protecting Children – Prevention First, Zero Mercy if Harm Happens

When it comes to child sexual offending, Unity’s position couldn’t be clearer.

We will do everything possible to prevent harm before it happens.
 That starts with setting up a confidential early intervention service — a place where people who know they’re struggling with unsafe thoughts can reach out for help, long before they ever hurt a child.

Because here’s the truth most politicians are scared to say — some people know they are a danger before anyone else does.
 They know their thoughts are wrong.
 They know they need help.
 But right now, there’s nowhere safe to ask for that help without immediately being treated as a criminal.

Unity will change that — because the best form of justice is preventing the harm before it happens.

But — and this is the hard line — if you ignore that pathway, if you choose to offend knowing that help was there and you turned your back on it, Unity says:
 Life without parole. No second chances. No early release.

You made your choice. You chose harm. That’s where accountability comes in hard.

And this isn’t just about individuals — any organisation that hides or enables abuse will be held to account too.
 Churches, cultural groups, clubs, or any closed community that protects abusers instead of protecting children will be shut down.
 Their assets will be seized, and that money will go straight into victim support and prevention programs.

Because this kind of abuse doesn’t just hurt a single child — it creates generations of pain.
 I saw it time and time again in the prison files.
 So many of the people who went on to hurt others started out as children who were hurt themselves.

That cycle ends here.

A Message to Those Who Were Hurt

If you’re listening to this, and you were one of those children — I need you to hear me now.

You are not the monster who hurt you.
 You are more than what happened to you.
 You can choose to break the cycle.
 You can choose to be strong, to lead, and to be the one who changes the story — not just for yourself, but for your whānau, your community, and every child who comes after you.

Unity will make sure the right support is there — the counselling, the healing spaces, the people who understand exactly what you’re carrying — so you can heal without shame.

A Message to Those Who Are Struggling Right Now

And if you’re listening to this, and you know you have unhealthy thoughts — if you know you’re a danger to children, I need you to listen even harder.

Be strong. Ask for help. Use the pathway Unity will build.

Because if you ask for help before you offend, you will get therapy, not prison.
 You will get confidential support, not public shame.
 And you will have a chance to break the pattern, instead of becoming the next offender file sitting on a desk at Corrections.

But if you ignore that pathway — if you choose to act instead of asking for help — Unity will have no mercy for you.

This isn’t about fearmongering — it’s about giving you a choice.
 Choose help, or choose consequences.
 That choice is yours — but know this:
 If you choose to harm, we will protect the child first — every single time.

This ends with us.
 The silence ends with us.
 The next generation deserves nothing less.

The Bottom Line

Prevention first — fix the foundations.
 Rehabilitation for those who want it — because treatment works.
 Hard accountability for those who refuse every chance — because choices have consequences.

That’s justice with a heart and a spine — and that’s what Unity stands for.

WRAP UP

Thanks for listening to Piecing Together Unity.

Together, we will piece it all together — one idea, one story, and one conversation at a time.
 Until next time, take care.