We all have an important role in keeping the public safe through our work in ensuring sentence compliance and reducing re-offending.
I believe that the Department does its job well in the face of a growing offender population and limited resources. This plan identifies our strengths and looks to cement these in place moving forward. The plan is also about learning from where we could have done better in the past and improving what we do.
Building on our strengths and opportunities to improve, this plan sets out a challenge for us all to focus on what’s most important, and to work in ways which deliver on that vision.
There are a number of important themes in this plan. There is a renewed focus on getting the basics right, and on our core business of ensuring sentence compliance and reducing re-offending. Aligning all our work to our outcomes in a more explicit way is also a key undertaking. With that outcomes focus, there is a strong realisation that we will need to continue to build stronger partnerships with those in the community who share common outcomes with us. And reducing Māori re-offending will continue to be a primary focus for us.
The success of this plan ultimately rests on the capability of our people and of our partners. It is vital that we all understand how we contribute to achieving the vision.
To deliver on this plan, we will build an organisational culture which will support Corrections as a successful and strong Department. We will support our people to continuously grow their capability to contribute to the vision. And we will strengthen our partnerships with agencies and communities who work towards the vision of a safer society.
I am confident that our people and our partners are up to the challenge to effectively improve public safety.
Barry Matthews
Chief Executive