On Thursday 5 June, the Minister of Corrections Hon Mark Mitchell opened the new 596-bed facility at Waikeria Prison alongside Corrections’ Chief Executive Jeremy Lightfoot.
The new facilities at Waikeria will provide a safe, secure, and respectful environment for staff, visitors, and prisoners. The facility has been designed with safety and security as a priority. It has also been designed as an environment to effectively support successful rehabilitation and mental health treatment. The design enhances the ability for staff to safely and effectively manage people serving prison sentences.
With the prison population continuing to rise, the new facility will help ensure Corrections has sufficient capacity and resources to keep our colleagues, the public, and people in prison safe.
The modern, fit-for-purpose facility adds 500 high-security beds to our nationwide network, as well as 96 dedicated beds to support the Hikitia Mental Health and Addictions Service.
The new facility consists of 28 buildings and has been built across 21 hectares of land at Waikeria Prison. Surrounded by a secure 1.7 km long perimeter fence, the new facility sits adjacent to the prison’s existing low security facility.
Key features include:
- High-security accommodation for 500 men
- A dedicated mental health and addiction service within a new 96-bed facility
- An education and rehabilitation hub
- A large kitchen and laundry, a new waste and recycling centre, and more industry training spaces for prisoners
- Single point of entry with secure perimeter
- Advanced biometric security
- Two main visitation areas
- A modern medical centre
300 additional frontline staff have already been recruited to help staff Waikeria Prison when the new prisoners arrive in the coming months, following final assurance checks.
Preparations are also underway for a further expansion of Waikeria Prison, which is due to be completed in 2029. This will add a further 810 beds to New Zealand’s prison system and was announced as part of Budget 2024.
