Prisoners being transported between North Island prisons were allegedly left to roast in scorching temperatures inside a van after its air conditioning system failed.
Temperatures reached 37C this week, and the Department of Corrections said a prisoner escort vehicle which was transferring prisoners experienced intermittent issues with its air conditioning system because of the hot weather.
The father of a prisoner in transit between Hawkes Bay Prison and Ngawha Prison via Rimutaka Prison, has written to the Corrections Minister expressing his concerns over what he calls "gross negligence" and a breach of basic human rights.
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"My son was transferred in plus 30C heat in the back of a steel van with a couple of other prisoners where after several hours it was 40-50C with no windows, ventilation, fans or air conditioning," he said.