Kaikohe neighbours relieved planned halfway house for released prisoners dropped

Neighbours are glad a plan for a house based in a rural location to be used for prisoners integrated back into the community will not go ahead.

A proposed halfway house for newly released prisoners in a semi-rural neighbourhood near Kaikohe, has been scrapped.

Neighbours had been alarmed to hear through the grapevine the Department of Corrections might move former prisoners into a Mangakahia Rd house on the outskirts of Kaikohe.

The neighbours are now pleased Corrections has ruled the house out after hearing the news from the Northern Advocate.

One neighbour said they would have liked to have been in the loop earlier, before the neighbours went public with their concerns.

They did not want to look as if their fears were simply a case of ''Nimby — not in my backyard'', they said.

They had questioned the appropriateness of having electronically-monitored people in an area where there was irregular cellphone coverage.

They had also been concerned the house was 4.2km from Kaikohe, 4.5km to the nearest supermarket and 3.7km to the nearest school.

The four-bedroom, Housing NZ property was until recently used by Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau Trust which provided accommodation for intellectually disabled people.

Next door neighbour Roger Henwood said he only found out what was proposed when he talked to a telecommunications worker.

He and other neighbours said they had never heard from Corrections, Housing NZ, Probation or prisoner aid services.

The Corrections Department confirmed it had considered the property and ruled it out.

''We will not be using this property to house offenders, although we did have initial discussions about its possible use,'' operations director Lynette Cave said.

Cave said Corrections was committed to talking with local communities when considering establishing new reintegration services such as supported accommodation.

''We are happy to work with the Kaikohe community to further discuss how we help offenders successfully re-integrate to reduce their likelihood of re-offending and keep our communities safe,'' she said.

''Public safety is our top priority.''

Corrections was well aware of communities' fears around having prisoners living nearby while they reintegrated into society, she said.

''We work hard to balance this concern with our obligation to safely manage offenders in the community when they can no longer lawfully be detained in prison.

''Being homeless increases an offender's likelihood of committing crime.

"Over 15,000 people are released from prison every year, and sourcing accommodation for offenders is one of our biggest challenges.''

When an offender was legally required to live in the community, Corrections had the responsibility to manage their compliance with Parole Board or Court-imposed conditions, and to reintegrate and rehabilitate the offender.