Why We Help

When a mother is sent to prison, she’s not the only one who is punished. Her children – who have done no wrong, whatever crime their mother may have committed - can be punished too.

6,712 women are under the management of Corrections.

675 (6.8% of the prison population) are in prison.

An estimated 85% are mothers.

Two out of three imprisoned women are mothers. On average, they leave behind nearly three children each when they go to prison. Those children aren’t guilty of anything — yet they pay a heavy price. They grow up without daily contact with their mother, sometimes without any contact at all, because the three women’s prisons in our country are too far away and visits are too costly.

Around 75% of women in prison have been victims of family violence.

More than half have been sexually assaulted.

At least 60% have literacy and numeracy skills below NCEA Level 1.

The majority live with untreated trauma, addiction, or mental health conditions.

The Hui goes behind bars to meet mums desperate to reconnect with their tamariki and the woman that's helping them to do so.

Children aren’t responsible for their mother’s offending. They're another victim. Mothers often want their kids to know that even though they’re in a prison, they haven’t stopped thinking about them and wanting what’s best for them.

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"Some people have quite tough views around women inside. But I think the great equaliser is that many of these women have children, and I think everyone in New Zealand wants what’s best for every child."

Stacey Shortall, Mothers Project Founder