The Government's investing more money into programmes it says will stop the cycle of crime before it even occurs in a bid to curb our spike in youth offending.
The $53 million cash drop will see a wraparound programme, currently only used in south Auckland, extended into west Auckland.
Any child under the age of 14 caught ram-raiding in either area will now be referred to a social wellbeing board for wraparound support.
There'll also be more money poured into a youth employment training and education programme.
Ram raid, after ram raid, after ram raid - there've been 357 so far this year. Left in their wake are shopowners picking up the pieces.
Sunny Kaushal from the Dairy and Business Owners group believes "this is getting out of control now".
In a bid to stop them happening in the first place, the Government's pumping a further $53 million into community-led youth programmes it's already investing in.
"The announcement appears nothing new," said Kaushal. "In fact all these programmes are already in place. Unless and until the Government gets tough on crime, no money can solve it."
But Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the Government's extending programmes which are "already proven to work".
They include those run by Mā Te Huruhuru in south Auckland, which says community led-intervention is the way that works.
"We were raised with families that we were in gangs, and so not wanting to perpetuate the cycle, we created this programme to basically break chains," said Māhere Maihi, CEO at Mā Te Huruhuru.
Some of the funding will go towards these three youth development and work-readiness initiatives which should get a further 5000 young people through their doors.
A wraparound service currently only used in south Auckland will be rolled out in west Auckland too, which'll mean anyone under the age of 14 caught ramraiding in those areas will be referred to a social wellbeing board that'll then find them the right support.
Over the last four months the initiative's worked with 52 kids, three-quarters of whom haven't gone on to reoffend.
The Opposition's not impressed with the Government's package.
"We are doing kids no favours by wrapping them around with cotton wool," said ACT leader David Seymour.
"A lot of it feels like it's window dressing and lovely, but actually is it really delivering against serious reoffenders, and what is it doing to support victims?" said National leader Christopher Luxon.
Seymour says he has the solution: ankle bracelets for ram-raiders.
But Police Minister Chris Hipkins said in many cases, the "harsher the punishment, the more glory and more notoriety they're getting out of it".
The minister insisted the Government's announcement on Tuesday puts a fence at the top of the hill, rather than an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.
