Prisoners from Rimutaka Prison have been working hard for the last five months to eradicate the sea of yellow gorse that was engulfing the hills surrounding the Prison.
“The idea is to slash and burn the gorse and then plant natives,” says Rimutaka Prison Manager Chris Smith.
“It gives prisoners a meaningful job to do and a great sense of pride in the finished product,” he adds.
“We haven’t started the planting yet, but already it has made a fantastic difference to the landscape.”
Increasing prisoner employment is a priority at Rimutaka. Prisoners who obtain work experience are more likely to find work on release - and are then less likely to re-offend.
Many prisoners have a long history of unemployment or earning through illegal activities. Meaningful work, such as the gorse-clearing, gives them a variety of skills ranging from a basic work ethic and workplace health and safety awareness to experience and skills in specialised areas.
“The gorse-clearing will go on all summer. It’s hard work, but there are plenty of farms out there that could use experienced scrub-clearers, and our guys have certainly learned how to get rid of it. When they’re eventually released there’ll be employment opportunities there for them,” Chris says.
Other prisoners are involved in activities such as catering and laundry to ensure that the prison is as self-sufficient as possible.
“We’re always looking for meaningful jobs for the prisoners to do,” says Chris.
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