Where to next?

Two years on, our four priorities still stand. By Improving Public Safety, Reducing Re-offending, providing Better Public Services and Visible Leadership, we will create lasting change in the lives of all New Zealanders.

We have the people who will make sure we get there. The 8,000 people who work at the Department of Corrections are passionate about making New Zealand a safer place. And we’re not alone. When you include the wider justice sector, volunteers, providers and support agencies, we have tens of thousands of people working to reduce crime.

Every one of us has the potential to influence someone’s life for the better.

The next step for us is ensuring our people have the support they need to be able to make a real contribution. We can do this by making physical changes such as improving our facilities and updating the technology we use.

But there is also much we can do that goes beyond physical changes, such as increasing co-operation within and outside the Department and enhancing the training that is available to staff and managers. We work with dangerous and volatile people, but we must be able to carry out our role without fear of harm. Staff safety is always a key focus for us, as is developing strong leaders who can inspire their teams and build relationships based on mutual respect.

Year Three of Creating Lasting Change expands on the excellent achievements of the last two years and develops the initiatives we know work best. This is no time to ease up on the pedal, in fact there will be more work, more engagement, more innovation and more opportunities than ever to create lasting change.

We’re setting a course that takes us beyond 2015, beyond the reducing re-offending target date of 2017, and into what we want Corrections to look like into the next decade. If the last few years are an indication of what’s to come, we’re in good shape. We’re going to continue to see a reduction in re-offending and will continue to improve the way we manage the people in our care. We’re helping make New Zealand a safer place to be.