Corrections NZ

03/09/2026

Did you know Corrections recruits some of its detector dogs from pounds? Scout, one of our newly graduated dogs, came from Gisborne District Council’s pound. After showcasing his excellent work ethic and ability to learn quickly, it was clear he would be a great fit for the Department of Corrections.🐕

Read more about Scout’s journey here:

The 18-month-old Labrador-pointer mix now works in Auckland jails.

27/08/2026

Today is the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day 💛 and the prisoners working in the Horticulture Programme at Waikeria Prison have grown and harvested daffodils to donate to Te Awamutu’s Daffodil Day street appeal.

Men in the programme grow produce and plants, gaining valuable skills and earning NZQA credits towards qualifications.

The men started planting the flowers earlier this year, with guidance from Horticulture Instructors like Morgan, who helped to harvest the daffodils ready for donating.

Morgan says it’s positive for the men to be involved with the daffodil growing and harvest, especially for a good cause. This year, they will donate several large buckets of flowers to raise money for the Cancer Society.

The prison has supported this cause since 2015.

16/08/2026

Last month, we celebrated the 2026 Detector Dog and Dog Handler graduation at the Police Dog Training Centre in Upper Hutt.

Three new handlers graduated with their canine companions, and five experienced handlers graduated with new detector dogs.

These dogs are carefully selected and highly trained to detect a range of contraband. Detector dog teams work incredibly hard to help keep our prisons safe.

Congratulations to our graduates 🐕‍🦺🎓

31/07/2026

Did you know Corrections operates its own commercial dairy farm at Otago Corrections Facility? Prisoners can get on-the-job training here, setting them up with skills and qualifications to help them into employment after they’re released.

Read all about it on pages 4-5 of this week’s Southern Rural Life:

Southern Rural Life

12/07/2026

In close partnership with local employers, Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison is supporting the rehabilitation of prisoners through their longstanding Release to Work programme.

Employment acts as a strong protective factor against reoffending, with employers involved in the initiative consistently seeing that participants are motivated to work and responsive to expectations.

Each participant is carefully vetted, well supported, held to clear standards, and aware of the responsibility that the programme represents.
The programme has helped participants gain practical skills and encouraged pro-social behaviour and daily routines.

This programme has the men working with a variety of employers in different areas including horticulture, engineering, agriculture and construction. This includes nine men gaining valuable on-site construction skills working on the Accelerated Capacity Project, delivering new beds at the prison in early 2027.

18/06/2026

This National Volunteer Week, we’re acknowledging the incredible people choosing to give their time to make a real difference in our prisons.

“They’re pretty unique, pretty special people,” says Volunteer Coordinator Karyn, who works with more than 50 volunteers delivering programmes at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison. From literacy and budgeting skills to knitting, baking, music, and mentoring, these programmes give prisoners important skills and help to reduce re-offending.

“There's so much more to it than just meets the eye,” she says.

“The baking, for example, is not just about learning to bake. It’s fabulous they can learn to make a batch of biscuits or scones and put them in their kids' lunchboxes, but it's also things like being able to read a recipe. So, there's reading skills, math skills with measuring, and the science of the actual baking itself.

“There’s also learning to put their hand up and ask for help, because that’s really hard for some of these guys. If they can ask for help in something like that, there's other avenues that they can then ask for help in as well,” Karyn says.

These programmes also give prisoners’ the opportunity to give back to the community, with items made in prison donated to charity.

Many of the activities also give prisoners a way to support and maintain important connections with their families, such as through card-making or knitting beanies to keep them warm in winter.

"Some prisoners are even writing books and illustrating them for their children,” Karyn says.

All this wouldn’t be possible without our amazing volunteers. Thank you for everything you do to help support positive change 👏

15/06/2026

This week is National Volunteer Week, and at Corrections we have a range of volunteers who give their time and expertise to help people in prison gain valuable skills and spend their time constructively. This includes programmes in reading and writing, parenting and life skills, music, and health and wellbeing, as well as other rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

One of our amazing volunteers is Robyn, who was recently named a finalist in the 2026 Volunteer Hawke’s Bay Excellence Awards. Robyn generously gives her time, skills and encouragement to the men in Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison by running knitting groups each week. Together, they have created hundreds of knitted items, many of which have been donated to local community organisations. In the past 12 months alone, Robyn has made an incredible 100 visits to site. Congratulations Robyn on being recognised as an award finalist, and thank you for your service!

09/06/2026

Re-CYCLING for the community 🚴‍♀️ Refurbished bikes are being donated to the local community after being given a new lease on life by men in Tongariro Prison. A partnership with Te Kapua Whakapipi Trust gives the men involved a chance to contribute positively to the community, while gaining hands-on experience and skills.

The refurbished bikes have made a real difference for young people in rural areas where transport can be a barrier. The bikes have encouraged them to get outside and stay active.

Some of the bikes were recovered items from Police that had been stolen and unclaimed, or bikes that were given to the local rubbish tip. Instead of letting the bikes go to waste, the partnership between the Trust and Corrections has enabled the bikes to be restored by men in the prison. So far, 25 bikes have been fixed up and given to their new homes.

02/06/2026

For Samoa Language Week, Rob and Rick shared what this year’s theme means to them.

The theme for this year is “‘E afua mai i mauga tetele manuia o le 'nu'u - From the high mountains are the blessings of the village."

01/06/2026

Our Community Corrections staff work with a range of local charities and organisations to help people give back to the community while serving their community-based sentences.

Community work is a low-tariff sentence imposed by the court, which requires people to do unpaid work in the community to pay something back for the offence that they have committed. This involves a wide range of supervised work benefiting local communities. Find out more:

What happens when a court sentences someone to community work?