Primary sector

Corrections operates

  • two dairy farms
  • three dry stock farms
  • one piggery
  • two sheep farms
  • six nurseries.

Agriculture and horticulture (farming and commercial plant nurseries) fall under the primary sector category and provide employment training for over 400 prisoners.

Prison farms

Waikeria Prison dairy farm

  • produces approximately 1 million kilograms of milk solids a year
  • covers 1,000 hectares of land
  • has a herd of 3,200 cows.

Otago Corrections Facility dairy farm

  • produces approximately 130,000 kilograms of milk solids a year
  • covers 130 hectares of land
  • has a herd of 370 cows
  • won the 2012 Ballance Environment Award for the dairy section. This award recognises excellence in promoting sustainable land management on New Zealand farms.

Dry stock farms

  • located at Hawke’s Bay, Spring Hill and Tongariro/Rangipo prisons
  • cover 330 hectares of land
  • are used to raise calves and heifers from main farms.

Christchurch Men’s Prison piggery

  • fattens between 16,000 and 17,000 pigs a year
  • maintains approximately 800 sows for breeding
  • is one of seven SPCA accredited free farm practices in the country – this is where sows are outside and growing pigs are housed in eco barns
  • won awards at the 2007 Freshpork Carcass competition
  • two of the instructors working have won the prestigious Pork Industry Herd Manager of the Year Award.

Christchurch Men’s Prison sheep farm

  • covers 700 hectares of land
  • has a maximum of 5,000 sheep.

Tongariro/Rangipo Prison sheep farm

  • covers 2,500 hectares of land
  • has 10,000 sheep.

Prison nurseries

They primarily supply local and regional councils and major replanting projects – 99 percent of their plants are from a native eco-source.

They also give prisoners the opportunity to complete a NZQA qualification in horticulture.

Where are products from these industries sold?

  • Milk is sold to Fonterra
  • Fattened pigs are sold to Freshpork
  • Wool and meat is sold through Affco and PPCS
  • Plants can be bought directly from the nurseries in large quantities and are commonly sold to local councils.