Wāhi Pā is now one of 23 marae in the country that is part of Te Pae Oranga, an initiative where offenders have their cases heard on marae instead of in court. The initiative was launched at the marae in Huntly on Friday.
It represents the realisation of Kīngi Tūheitia's vision to have Māori values and practices used in a restorative justice approach to offending at the marae. He is patron of Te Pae Oranga.
"We're within our own environments that we understand and that we know - and we're not just a number where you're being pushed through," Lady Tureiti Moxon said.
"We have to do something differently than herding our people into the court system, and the District Court in particular, because the pipeline from there is just into worse and worse and worse."