Parata assumed her son was going to school. Instead, Demetrius was out all night with a group of older rangatahi who were stealing cars and smashing up vape stores.
Having her boy arrive home in a police car followed by the threat of Oranga Tamariki taking Demetrius away from her was a wakeup call for Parata.
“I said to him, ‘I love you, son. What would you like Mum to do?’ And he said to me, ‘I want you to change.'”
Parata promised she would kick her methamphetamine addiction.
Demetrius was enrolled into a programme run by a Manurewa charity for youth in trouble with the law and who regularly skip school.
The Pride Project’s Kura Manaaki programme for under 13-year-olds looks at the broader challenges that impact the kids and their whanau. Kura Manaaki is a far cry from the military-style boot camps which the Government plans to start trialling in the middle of this year.
The programme is run by Tutemauri Pouwhare – a former street kid.
“I’m an example of being able to change, so if I can do it, anyone can do it,” he said.
“We have a good opportunity to be able to make changes in their life before they get affected by alcohol, drugs, offending and all those types of things.”
His mentorship and the life skills taught by Kura Manaaki is proving to be a successful formula for keeping kids like Demetrius out of trouble.
Now, aged 11, Demetrius goes to school and his mother is free from methamphetamine.
“I love seeing him being home, staying home every day, not being with that same crowd he was with before,” Parata smiled.