The Ministry of Justice funds 27 organisations to deliver restorative justice to 57 courts nationwide, Justice Minister Andrew Little says.

Mr Little provided the information in response to a series of written parliamentary questions on the management of restorative justice from National MP David Bennett.

Asked what the criteria were that an organisation must fulfil in order to facilitate restorative justice in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, Mr Little said providers must provide evidence that they can:

• Ensure their facilitators have completed, or are working towards, restorative justice accreditation through the Resolution Institute;
• Comply with the Ministry of Justice Practice Framework, Restorative Justice Practice Standards for Family Violence and the Restorative Justice Standards for Sexual Offending Cases (if applicable);
• Meet and maintain an appropriate level of Social Sector Accreditation;
• Be culturally responsive to the needs of their communities; and
• Maintain professional relationships with the courts they service and other key stakeholders in their communities.

He said there were no criteria set by the Ministry of Justice that organisations must fulfil to advertise themselves as a restorative justice provider. However, to advertise as a provider for the Ministry of Justice, they must have been selected and contracted by the ministry through a procurement process to deliver restorative justice services.