From release day through the first month
The steps are grouped by when they matter, starting on release day.
- Release day. Reporting to Probation, applying for financial support, and somewhere to stay tonight if there isn't one.
- ID. Almost everything later asks for ID, so it comes early. A birth certificate first, then photo ID.
- Money. A bank account, and help with rent and the basics for a new place.
- A place to stay. Supported housing and the organisations that help find a home, depending on where you are.
- Health, work and getting online. Enrolling with a doctor, finding work or training, and low-cost ways to get online.
Why the order matters
A plain list makes every task look equally urgent. In practice some can't be done yet, and trying them first wastes a trip. Tīmata keeps those steps locked until what they need is done, so the next step shown is always one that can be done today.
- Birth certificatedone
- Photo IDnext
- Bank accountlocked
Financial support works the same way. Some help with housing costs only opens once the main benefit is in place, which is why applying for it is a release-day step.
Everything else can be done whenever it fits.
Where you are matters. Choose a region and the support services that cover it come first. Nothing is hidden, so if plans change, every option is still there.
Two paths: for the person coming home, and for whānau
Tīmata starts by asking who is using it.
- Coming homeReport to Probation.
- WhānauMake sure they report to Probation.
Coming home. Every step is written to the person leaving prison.
Whānau. The same steps, written for the person helping, plus some of their own: getting ready before release day, from the practical basics to the feelings that come with it, and support for tamariki.
For care workers
Probation, reintegration, housing and community workers can give Tīmata to the person they support. That person doesn't need an account or a phone number, and the steps are already in the right order. → For care workers
How Tīmata is built, and why
Tīmata is built for Aotearoa New Zealand. Elsewhere this time is often called reentry, especially in the United States, or resettlement in the United Kingdom.
Each decision below starts with who it's for.
It works with no signal.
In the iPhone and Android apps, the whole guide, its reminders and the emergency numbers work offline, from the first time the app opens. Someone with no data left, or no phone plan yet, still has every step. Progress saves to the private link when back online.
No account, no phone number, no name.
Nothing to sign up for and no password to remember. Progress is saved under a private link, not a name, and can be deleted whenever you like.
Steps, not a directory.
A directory lists services and leaves the order to the reader. Tīmata sets out the order, because in the first month the order is the hard part.
Sources checked in the open.
The official pages Tīmata links to are checked automatically. When one changes or a link breaks, a person reads the source, then fixes the step or confirms it's still right. How the checks work is published on the Transparency page. → Transparency
Free, and it stays free.
No cost to use, now or later.