"It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" is one of Jaye Pukepuke's favourite quotes.
After a promising rugby league career and a prison sentence, Jaye now runs the Christchurch-based youth education programme Bros for Change.
"Everything I do is to show no matter what you've done or how old you are, it's never too late," he tells Kim Hill.
Jaye Pukepuke, founder of the Christchurch based education programme Bros for Change Photo: RNZ
Bros for Change offers a 20-week kaupapa Māori programme which helps build connection and resilience via uses outdoor activities and haka.
Young people refer themselves to the programme, Jaye says, as forcing anyone is a waste of everyone's time.
"If they actually don't want to be there, which means do they ever want to change? ... We may as well spend our time on people who want it."
"You went to prison and you still turned out all right', the boys often say to Jaye.
He replies that he did it hard so they don't have to.
"We've walked that walk, we've been to some dark places, we've got masses of trauma. That's why Bros for Change is here because we want to make change."
In the toxically masculine environment of rugby league, Jaye says he was a more aggressive person but the sport also led him back to his Māori culture.
"I turned my culture away when I was younger. I didn't have identity ... It wasn't until I played for New Zealand Māori doing something that I really loved that my culture came back naturally."
Young people don't have to be Māori to enrol in the Bros for Change programme, Jaye says, and boys from all over the world have participated.
They're often from families with gang affiliations but aren't criminals themselves and just need to build some confidence, Jaye says.
"Something is not working for them somewhere so they're going to give this a try."
On the Bros for Change programme, ten young men are prepared for learning while receiving "a bit of cheese sauce" in the form of adventures and new experiences.
In the first week, the group heads into the bush and around the campfire the boys share "some cool stuff".
Jaye hopes to eventually run a father-son camp programme to get dads in on these conversations.
"I always wonder [what would happen] if the parents could hear that and also the rangatahi could hear back from the parents. I think that's really powerful.
"The path I always wanted [for myself] was playing NRL and going overseas and get paid doing that. But now I'm here I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather be doing."
Bros for Change have been approached many times about girls' education programmes, Jaye says, but they're not yet set up to run them.
Watch the short film Bros for Change, directed by Struan Purdie:
