Youth will face criminal charges for damaging the roof of Oranga Tamariki Courthouse in Auckland

Seven teenagers have been charged with malicious damage after climbing onto the roof of a South Auckland youth justice facility on Monday night.

According to police, one of the group members was charged with intentionally causing bodily harm to another person.

They were part of a group of 13 teenagers who climbed onto the roof of Oranga Tamariki’s Wiri facility.

They claimed they were protesting because they were not allowed outside and said they were not fed.

Oranga Tamariki previously said the youths were “hungry” and “tired” after the incident but would be prosecuted for the damage caused.

Officials hope a full investigation will reveal the cause of the incident, which saw the group destroy the roof of the Korowai Manaaki facility and tear out insulation and timber.

An RNZ reporter at the scene said two youths also appeared to have climbed through a hole made in one of the buildings before resurfacing.

Photo: Maya Ingoe/RNZ

Nine of the group were persuaded to come down overnight and Tuesday morning, with the remaining four coming down just before 11am. All have since been placed under protective custody or removed by police.

Additional charges could still be filed, police said.

No one was injured, although one of the youths was slightly injured while climbing onto the roof.

“They’re teenagers, they’re cold, they’re hungry and they’re tired,” Ian Chapman, deputy chief executive of Oranga Tamariki Youth Justice and Residential Services, said after the incident was resolved.

“But at this point… they are facing consequences for their actions and they are being dealt with by the police.”

Chapman denied that staffing shortages contributed to this, saying the business had a “full staff” of staff on shift on Monday night.

“The employees who work here love this place,” he said. “When things like this happen, they get buried.”

Photo: Maya Ingoe/RNZ

Despite initial reports that the youths were demanding McDonald’s Big Mac sets, cigarettes and a getaway car, Chapman said the group “made no requests or demands of our on-site staff.”

“At no stage were any demands made and we provided them with nothing in relation to any demands.”

Children’s Minister Karen Chur said any demands would not be met “as these were not negotiations”.

“There is no excuse for this completely unacceptable behavior and there will be consequences for their actions.”

“What we’re finding is that when there’s a disturbance – as any parent will tell you – there’s often a trigger,” Chapman said, adding that would be part of the analysis of the incident.

“While it is disappointing that this happened, we can confirm that at no time were there any concerns about public safety,” Chapman said. It is clear that the young people never left the residence.

“The standard operating procedure we have for incidents like this was put in place immediately to ensure the young people were unable to go further than the roof within the site.”

“We absolutely do not intend to tolerate this kind of behavior,” Chur said, adding: “Criminal penalties will be imposed for the damage caused.”

Dynamics at the facility could “change quickly”, Chur said, praising the “coordinated” approach to resolving the incident, which involved Corrections, police, Oranga Tamariki Health NZ and FENZ’s offer to assist if necessary. .

Photo: Things/David White

According to her, it was this coordinated approach that “allowed this situation to be resolved quickly and quickly.”

“These young men are here in Korowai Manaaki because they have committed serious crimes,” Chapman said.

“They damaged parts of our facilities and will be prosecuted.”

Chhur said the contractor conducted an initial assessment and the damage was found to be “minimal.”

Photo: Maya Ingoe/RNZ

Speaking to Newstalk ZB, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the authorities will not give in to the demands of young people.

“They’re not coming for KFC,” Luxon said.

“These are some of the most serious and violent young offenders.”

Chur said work is underway to determine how the incident may have occurred and what can be done to prevent a recurrence in the future.

This is not the first time young people have climbed onto the roof of Korowai Manaaki. A similar incident in July 2023 was blamed on staff shortages.

The July report said staff at the facility smuggled contraband, beat children and silenced informants.

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