Later this week around 160 restorative justice practitioners from around New Zealand converge on Wellington for the 2010 National Restorative Justice Conference. Participants will hear from senior political and legal figures and a range of skilled practitioners at the conference, organised by Restorative Justice Aotearoa (RJA) in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice.

RJA Chairperson, Mike Hinton said that the Conference theme "Restorative Justice: Turning the Tide", will be explored through a programme of keynote speakers and workshop/presentations.

"This will include engaging with local, regional and global communities, and learning about emerging trends in restorative justice. Importantly, the conference will also involve how organisations and practitioners can translate this information to advance their practice. The conference will certainly encourage debate and will also give participants an opportunity for networking and interaction across the restorative justice community," Mike Hinton said.

Keynote speakers include: Justice Minister, Hon Simon Power; Chief District Court Judge, Judge Russell Johnson; the President of the Law Commission, Rt. Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer; Maori Party Co-Leader, Hon Tariana Turia; Labour Justice Spokesperson, Hon Lianne Dalziel and Parole Board Chair, Judge Sir David Carruthers. Prof Kevin P. Clements who is Chair in Peace & Conflict Studies and Director of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago will deliver the Theme address.

Mike Hinton said the conference also offers an impressive mix of workshop presenters. "They come from a wide range of perspectives and contexts such as victims support, education restorative practices, police, neighbourhood justice centre, post sentence conferencing in prisons, research and of course pre-sentencing rj services," he said.

The conference will be held at the Brentwood Hotel, Kilbirnie, Wellington, on Friday 26th March and Saturday 27th March 2010.

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Contact for further comment: Mike Hinton (09)275 3525 (027)226 9323

Q&A What is Restorative Justice? Restorative justice is a collaborative approach to conflict resolution, and can be employed in a variety of settings (home, business, school, judicial system, etc.). It can also use several different formats to achieve its goals.

Restorative justice refers to a process whereby those affected by an incident of wrongdoing come together, in a safe and controlled environment, to share their experience and opinions truthfully and resolve together how best to deal with its aftermath. The process is called "restorative" because it is concerned primarily with restoring, insofar as is possible, the dignity and well-being of those harmed by the incident.

What is Restorative Justice Aotearoa?

Restorative Justice Aotearoa (RJA) was Incorporated in 2005 after a consultation process with groups providing restorative justice. RJA promotes communication and liaison between restorative justice organisations, government, justice stakeholders and individuals in NZ in all aspects of restorative justice services.

Who belongs to Restorative Justice Aotearoa?

Restorative Justice Aotearoa is a professional association representing the steadily growing number of New Zealand providers of restorative justice services. Membership of the Society is comprised of restorative justice provider groups from around New Zealand.

What does Restorative Justice Aotearoa do?

Restorative Justice Aotearoa exists to promote the interests and best practice of restorative justice including the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge and skills relating to restorative justice in the community, and to promote and encourage proper conduct and accountability among its members and practitioners.