National Volunteer Week (14–20 June) is a chance to recognise the extraordinary impact volunteers have across New Zealand. This week, we acknowledge our amazing staff who volunteer outside of work and the incredible people who give their time and skills to support those we manage.
Our volunteers build genuine connections with the people we manage, offering encouragement and fresh perspectives. Their work directly supports our goal of helping people leave prison better and with brighter prospects.
Volunteering in this space isn’t always easy. it takes both empathy and resilience. Our volunteers continue to show up and create safe spaces where people feel supported.
From kaiwhakamana volunteers sharing cultural knowledge and support, to chaplaincy volunteers offering spiritual care, each brings something unique. Together, they help create an environment which better supports rehabilitation and reintegration.
The range of programmes volunteers deliver include music, health and wellbeing, cultural and religious services, literacy, parenting, life skills, and other rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives. What matters most isn’t professional expertise, but a willingness to connect with respect and compassion.
At Mount Eden Corrections Facility (MECF), volunteer Danika is helping Pasifika men find their voice through a Pasifika Poetry Club. Across six sessions, participants explore identity, culture, and emotion through writing and spoken word - building skills in reading, writing, and performance. Danika, a postgraduate psychology student and poet, has published a collection of participants’ work, What the Shadows Kept - a powerful expression of growth.
Creativity also comes to life through a cartooning workshop led by internationally published illustrator Anna Crichton. Through drawing and storytelling, participants explore new ways to reflect and communicate their experiences.
At Auckland Prison, Gwen Taylor has been volunteering since 2018, where she supported numeracy and all levels of literacy – from the very basic through to university studies. At the same time, she developed the Creative Art Programme, comprising six-week modules that run throughout the year and working with between 20 and 25 men every week.
“As an experienced teacher, I find working with people in prison far easier than any class I have taught. I think that’s because they really appreciate the opportunity that a volunteer is providing them,” she says.
“Art can provide scope for people in prison to construct a new sense of self and what’s possible. Some of the men unlock a talent they didn’t know they had while others arrive with highly developed skills.
“Working with these men in prison is hugely rewarding. Students have told me that art is the highlight of their week. Well, it’s mine too.”
Robyn Anderson from Hawkes Bay Regional Prison was a finalist in the 2026 Volunteer Hawke’s Bay Excellence Awards. Robyn has dedicated countless hours to leading knitting groups - making 100 visits to the prison in the past year. Together with the men she supports, she’s helped create hundreds of knitted items for local community organisations.
David Verry is a budgeting and financial mentor at Auckland Prison. His volunteer work includes one on one financial mentoring that focuses on finding debts, Kiwisaver hardships and clearing debts prior to release. He also works with people post release to help them manage their finances.
He has run seminars at community sites in the region that educate on financial literacy including how to seek paid employment, to have a budget, understand the pros and cons of debt, encouraging participation in KiwiSaver (introducing the concept of compound interest), having a will and any other topics as participants want to discuss.
“I’m just a retiree, passionate about helping others who never had the opportunities I had,” says David.
Get involved
If you are interested in volunteering in a prison, please email reintegrationservices@corrections.govt.nz with details about the type of volunteering you would like to do and a little bit about your skills and experience.
You can also find more information on our volunteering at Corrections page.