Prison expansion will almost double capacity

The Minister of Corrections, Mark Mitchell (right) and Department of Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot turning the first sods on the site of Waikeria Prison's 810-bed extension announced earlier this year. Photo / Dean Taylor

Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell was the guest of honour at Waikeria Prison on Tuesday, one of several officials gathered to mark the sod-turning for the next expansion at the facility which will almost double capacity.

Joining Mitchell was Department of Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot, Waikeria Kaumātua Rōpu representatives Sol and Ella Nelson and Kataraina Hodge.

Also there was Waikeria Prison general manager Jim Watson, Cornerstone Infrastructure Partners chief executive Stuart Wilkinson and CPB Contractors general manager Paul Corbett and project director Elardus Botha.

The visit also included a tour of the almost-completed 600-bed expansion.

Mitchell thanked the entire Corrections team who are part of the new facility and expansion, and frontline staff who work at the prison. On the tour he took time to talk to and thank tradespeople for their work.

He told the gathering one of his priorities was ensuring prison capacity and resilience in the prison network.

He said the new facility that will open next year includes 500 high-security beds, with an additional 96 beds for people in prison with mental health and addiction needs.

“These will go a long way in increasing capacity and allowing for increased opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration, delivering the best possible results in both improving people’s mental wellbeing and reducing reoffending,” said Mitchell.

“While that is great progress, we need to ensure our prisons are future-proofed and have sufficient, fit-for-purpose prison capacity proportional to the increasing population.”

He said the additional 810-bed facility to be built at Waikeria, and expected to be in service by 2029, is part of the Government’s promise to tackle crime.

Mitchell said tougher policing inevitably leads to more demand for prison capacity.

Department of Corrections Waikeria project director Jack Harrison explaining design aspects of one of the new units to Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell (left) and guests. Photo / Dean Taylor

But new facilities are also designed to prioritise the safety and welfare of staff, keep the increasingly complex prison population housed safely and securely, address any mental health and addiction needs, and to give inmates opportunities to change their lives for the better through rehabilitation.

“This is one of my core priorities for Corrections – to reduce reoffending through effective rehabilitation.”

Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot acknowledged the Waikeria Prison team.

He said sufficient capacity is of course critical, but it is equally important that “we have professional and passionate people to operate these facilities - people who are committed to delivering our vision of making the community safer, by supporting people to leave us better and with brighter prospects”.

“The 810 beds that comprise the Waikeria Prison expansion are fundamental to ensuring we have that capacity and that Waikeria Prison is a modern, safe facility that supports rehabilitation,” said Lightfoot.