Over 700 prison volunteers and Corrections staff gathered together at a series of special events across the country in June to celebrate Volunteer Awareness Week.  From Ngawha to Invercargill, senior Corrections managers took the opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution of community volunteers to the work of the Department.

It was a chance to make new connections, and cement some long-standing ones, as volunteers from a host of different voluntary and church groups stood shoulder to shoulder with prison staff and shared a yarn over a cup of tea and a pastry.

In Invercargill Prison Manager Stu Davie paid tribute to volunteers who had travelled from as far as the Gore/Mataura area to join in the celebrations. Prison chaplain Jeff Low noted that volunteers "particularly welcomed the opportunity to chat with prison staff in a convivial and informal setting."

Over at Milton, Otago Corrections Facility Manager Jack Harrison was joined by Māori Regional Advisor Alby Ellison and Chaplains Peter Collett and Veronica Casey. Since opening in 2007, prisoners at OCF have been supported by over 170 volunteers drawn from a wide geographical area.

In Christchurch, around 100 volunteers and staff from the Canterbury prisons gathered at the Cashmere Club. Aside from an enjoyable morning tea, a ‘question and answer’ session gave volunteers a chance to raise and discuss issues with senior prison staff.

Over 200 volunteers from the Wellington prisons were honoured with a reception in the Grand Hall in Parliament. Kaumatua from Ngāti Toa provided the karakia and waiata, creating a special atmosphere to match the grandeur of the surroundings. Statistics Minister, the Hon Darren Hughes, hosted the event and paid tribute to the volunteers, noting that they play "an increasingly important role in prisons." After highlighting the diverse range of community groups and individuals involved in prison volunteering, he added: "Together you all make a huge difference in the lives of prisoners and their families and to improving community safety by helping offenders lead a crime-free life on release.  Volunteers give prisoners the human contact which assists them to see a life outside of the prison system. It's this reason that the Department is absolutely committed to supporting and valuing the role of volunteers now and moving forward in the future."

Auckland Central Remand Prison was the centre of celebrations in Auckland, with the stunning Pacific dance group Te Riri O Te O entertaining. Again, the event was very well received. Graham Gillibrand from the Windsor Park Baptist Church in Auckland said: "Many thanks for the volunteer celebrations. It was very well done and enjoyable – great for networking and meeting people."

In Hawke’s Bay volunteers were acknowledged by Assistant Regional Manager Paul Vlaanderen, while Unit Manager Lynn O’Connor provided useful refresher training on site procedures and staying safe.

In Taupo, torrential rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the 40 volunteers from Tongariro/Rangipo who gathered at the Tokelauan Hall. Bob Sweet and Kelvin Cornish provided some valuable refresher training on how to identify and deal with instances of prisoner manipulation. Even those who had been volunteering for many years felt they had benefited from the session, and a vote of thanks was proposed at the end.

Other successful events during the week took place at Spring Hill, Waikeria, Ngawha and New Plymouth.

"Thank you all for helping us to make a difference" – David Pomeroy, Prison Manager, Tongariro/Rangipo

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