Corrections staff believe Kapa Haka performers could well possess the ideal skills mix required for a career in Corrections.
And they hope they might find many others with the right skills among the 35,000 people expected to attend Te Matatini - the country’s largest Maori cultural festival taking place this weekend in Palmerston North
Keen to attract new staff to its Community Probation and Public Prisons Services, Corrections is hosting a display stall where staff from its Wellington-based head office and the Tararua District will meet with the public attending the festival.
Corrections staff are particularly keen to promote the Department’s focus on encouraging prisoners to stop their offending and become productive members of society.
This sits well alongside the critical role the Department plays in protecting the community by ensuring sentences are properly managed.
National Adviser Maori Service Development Lawrence Tawera says Corrections’ offers a diverse range of career options and while staff are keen to take enquiries about all of them, the emphasis this weekend will be to attract new Probation Officers.
Probation Officers supervise work with offenders in the community, including people on community work, home detention and parole. They also provide advice to Judges and the New Zealand Parole Board.
“Our staff come from very different backgrounds, cultures, education and life experiences so a cultural festival is an ideal venue for us to tap into,” Mr Tawera says.
More information on career options can be found on the Corrections website www.corrections.govt.nz
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