CIE Innovation Awards

This year Corrections Inmate Employment introduced a new award to recognise the hard work put in by truly innovative staff: the CIE Innovation Awards.

The first awards were presented to finalists around the country in July at the CIE Managers’ Forum. The 2010 winners included a team and six individuals whose work embodied innovative and creative ideas which achieved successful outcomes.

These awards were inspired by the inaugural Chief Executive’s Innovation Awards held in May. CIE National Manager Brent Maughan wanted to recognise and foster creativity and innovation among CIE staff.

Brent said: “I often hear some really good ideas being talked about among staff and these awards will give staff the added encouragement to put those ideas into action to get results.”

The rationale behind these awards is to recognise staff who have developed new and highly creative initiatives, locally or nationally, that contribute to improving public safety through: Enhancing Capability, Ensuring Sentence Compliance, Reducing Re-offending, Strengthening Partnerships and Succeeding with Maori.

Those staff who were recognised with awards stood out as going above and beyond the call of duty in applying innovative thinking towards activities resulting in increased availability, prevalence and quality of prisoner employment training and activities.

Finalists were presented with certificates and koru shaped trophies designed and manufactured by the Waikeria Prison Engineering workshop, a fitting reminder of the work CIE puts into helping prisoners in the rehabilitation and reintegration process.