After twenty-five years in the horticulture business, including running the Atawhai Nursery in New Plymouth for 18 years, Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) Nurseries Manager Michael Queree is well placed to see the benefits of recent changes to the structure of prison nurseries.
Over the last few years, CIE has been changing the way its employment programmes are delivered to provide prisoners with a more solid platform for long-term post-release employment. As part of this, Corrections’ horticulture was restructured and generalist area managers were replaced by specialist industry managers.
Furthermore, the few nurseries that did not provide training in a commercial type work environment were closed in 2002.
Their activities were amalgamated and replaced by larger nursery units at Auckland, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Manawatu, Rimutaka and Rolleston Prisons.
“Rather than closing nurseries down it was about restructuring the nurseries to provide quality employment and training opportunities for prisoners - opportunities that will prepare them for sustainable postrelease employment,” says Michael.
“Our operations at all six facilities are flourishing within the strict competition boundaries we’ve set. In terms of employment and training outcomes alone, the nurseries are delivering results. Since the 2002 restructure, prisoner employment hours have increased from 130,000 in 2003 to 177,000 in 2005 and NZQA credits achieved have gone from 372 to 657 over the same period,” Michael says.
“CIE is looking at the big picture and changing the way employment programmes are delivered to reflect that.
“By identifying a need, and providing prisoners with theoretical and practical training and qualifications in a real-work environment, our nurseries are providing prisoners with the necessary skills for long-term employment.
“This helps both the individual prisoner and the horticulture industry,” says Michael.
There are two nurseries at Auckland Prison, one a specialist propagation unit, the other a 5,000 square metre facility where mainly native plants are grown for internal contracts and to supply local authorities and landscapers.
A 7,500 square metre nursery specialising in revegetation plants under contract to local regional council (a 10-year relationship). The nursery also supplies landscape plants to the local council and landscapers.
A 25,000 square metre unit with extensive shade house and propagation facilities undertakes contracting to Taranaki and Manawatu/Wanganui regional councils and supplies plants to landscape and retail sectors.
A specialist propagation nursery with 2,500 square metres of covered facilities, the nursery provides other CIE nurseries with ‘tube stock’ and also has some internal contracts.
This 5,000 square metre intensive production nursery specialises in aquarium plants (grown hydroponically), begonias, bedding and potted colour plants. It also propagates some tube stocks for other nurseries.
The 20,000 square metre wholesale production nursery grows native plants, specimen trees, grasses, pittosporum, hebes and bedding plants for local councils, other nurseries, garden centres and chain stores.
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ISSN 1178-8453