5 December

The tireless efforts of a number of volunteers at Waikeria Prison were celebrated when Corrections presented the inaugural Volunteer Recognition Awards at a ceremony today, in association with International Volunteers Day.

Teams and individual volunteers who travel from Hamilton and the Bay of Plenty to the prison regularly were acknowledged and thanked for their positive contribution to prison life.

Acting Assistant Regional Manager, Terry Buffery believes these awards are extremely important in acknowledging the hard work volunteers put in.

“The amount of time these people freely give is invaluable and I’d like to congratulate today’s award recipients for their efforts and dedication,” he says.

“Many of our volunteers offer constructive activities in prisons and are part of rehabilitative and reintegrative processes available to prisoners, which is a key tool in reducing re-offending.

“The existence of a diverse and energetic pool of volunteers brings a community perspective to our services and contributes towards helping offenders to positively return to the community,” says Mr Buffery.

This diversity of experience and knowledge was reflected in the award recipients honoured today.  The individual award was presented to Neti (Ned) Cook, a Fatua Pasefika volunteer who offers cultural support to pacific people within the prison as well as working closely with the pacific island community in Hamilton and surrounds.

The team award went to a dedicated group of Prison Fellowship of New Zealand members who frequently travel the distance from the Bay of Plenty to Waikeria.

“The benefits of providing constructive activities for prisoners, such as art and design tuition, cannot be overstated.  Bored prisoners are more likely to be disruptive and troublesome for Corrections staff.

Constructive activities motivate prisoners to change their lives and, for some, offer the possibility of using newly-learned skills post release,” says Mr Buffery.

Corrections is always looking for new volunteers who can bring constructive activities into prisons. At present there is a particular need for volunteers who can assist with literacy support, creative writing, life skills, health promotion, sports activities and a wide range of arts activities.

If you know someone who may be able to help, they can email volunteering@corrections.govt.nz or phone (04) 495 8428 for more information.

Notes to reporter:

• This year, to mark International Volunteer’s Day, the Department decided to introduce a series of local Volunteer Recognition Awards to publicly recognise and acknowledge the outstanding contribution of local prison volunteers
• Corrections staff nominated those approved volunteers who, in their opinion, made an outstanding contribution to the rehabilitation, reintegration and/or welfare of prisoners during the preceding year.

For further information contact the Communications Services Desk:

• Phone: (04) 460 3365
• Email: commdesk@corrections.govt.nz

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