List of prisons in New Zealand

Correctional facilities (prisons) in New Zealand (as at July 2005) are as follows. In addition, the Corrections Department operates twelve Community Probation Service areas, each with several branch offices.

Northern Prison Region

Northland Region Corrections Facility

Northland Region Correctional Facility is located 5 km northeast of the town of Kaikohe and is colloquially known as Ngawha - after the local area. Construction was completed in 2004, and the facility houses up to 350 minimum, low medium and high medium security prisoners.

Auckland Prison (Paremoremo)

Main article: Paremoremo Prison

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Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility

Main article: Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility

A new prison in South Auckland constructed as part of a Labour-initiative to construct around 1,600 new prison beds to deal with the prison crisis in New Zealand in the late 1990s.

Mount Eden Prisons

Main article: Mount Eden Prisons

There has been a prison at the Mount Eden site south of central Auckland since 1856. Currently, there are three separate facilities in the grounds:

• The Mount Eden (Men's) Prison, for which the foundations for the existing prison were laid in 1872 with extensions continuing until the present buildings, which accommodate up to 421 medium security male prisoners, were completed in 1917. Mount Eden Prison has a category "B" classification from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust because of its historical significance and architectural quality.

• The Mount Eden Women's Prison is used for remand prisoners and those serving short sentences. It has a maximum capacity of 54 prisoners.

• The Auckland Central Remand Prison, a modern 381 capacity male remand prison, it was the first prison in New Zealand to be administered by a private company, though it has now been returned to operation by the state.

=Waikeria Prison

Waikeria Prison, first used as a prison in 1961 is a prison for male minimum and high-medium security prisoners, located 16 kilometres south of Te Awamutu, in the Waikato region. The 1050 bed facility is set in 12 square kilometres and is New Zealand's largest prison, accommodating up to 720 sentenced and 185 remand prisoners. Waikeria prison on 08/03/2010 housed 948 prisoners.

Ohura Prison

Formerly a coal miner's hostel, Ohura Prison, in the King Country, opened in 1972 and closed in 2005, was a minimum security open institution with no external perimeter fence, and could accommodate 97 male prisoners. The Corrections Department relocated the prison to Tongariro Prison because of staffing issues and issues with Ohura's water supply and effluent system.

Tongariro/Rangipo Prison

The Tongariro/Rangipo complex and farm, in the northern Rangipo Desert consists of eight units holding approximately 600 adult male prisoners. There are two 60 bed, low-medium units, all of the other units are minimum-security. Prisoners are sent to Tongariro/Rangipo from all over the North Island (with a few from the South Island - usually from overcrowding transfers) however the majority of prisoners come from the greater Auckland region.

The complex has a unit set up for illegal immigrants which is currently used as a minimum unit for sentenced prisoners.

Midland Prison Region

New Plymouth Prison

New Plymouth Prison was originally built as an army hospital during the Taranaki War of 1860-1861. Later that decade it was designated a prison, and so is the oldest operational penal institution in New Zealand. It holds up to 109 prisoners in minimum to medium security.

Hawke's Bay Prison

Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison, originally called Mangaroa, is located near Hastings and was opened in October 1989, replacing the old Napier prison, which closed in 1993. The prison generally accommodates up to 568 male prisoners: the minimum to high-medium security prison is made up of a medium security section, housing 180 male prisoners in three separate units, and five cell hut complexes, housing 388 prisoners. This includes a Youth Unit holding 28 male prisoners, and a 20 bed self-care unit. There is also a Māori Focus Unit.

Wanganui Prison

Wanganui prison, in Kaitoke, comprises ten separate complexes. The main Kaitoke complex was built in 1978. This complex houses administration, houses a maximum of 238 prisoners and an at risk unit (for offenders at risk of harming themselves). In 1990, a high-medium security unit known as Te Moenga opened. Southwood, a stand-alone 80 bed low medium to minimum security prison, opened in 1997 and not long after this a 20 bed minimum security self-care unit opened in 1998. There is also a Māori focus unit. The overall complex has a total of 538 male prisoners.

Manawatu Prison

Manawatu Prison (Manawatu Youth Institution until 1985), at Linton in the Manawatu district, holds minimum and medium security sentenced male prisoners. It consists of four residential units and has a maximum capacity of 278 prisoners.

Wellington Prison Region

Rimutaka Prison

Rimutaka Prison is a prison for male minimum and medium security prisoners, located near Upper Hutt. Originally called Wi Tako, the prison opened in 1967. Rimutaka now accommodates up to 1,038 minimum and medium security male prisoners, making it New Zealand's largest prison. It has now several High medium units and is able to take maximum prisoners.

Arohata Women's Prison

Arohata Women's Prison is located near Tawa, north of Wellington. It is able to accommodate up to 154 female prisoners of minimum, low-medium and high-medium security classifications.

Wellington Prison

Wellington Prison, also known as Mt Crawford, is located next to the suburb of Miramar, central Wellington and was built in 1927. It accommodates up to 120 prisoners in medium security.

South Island Prison Region

Christchurch Prison

Christchurch Prison, also known as Paparua, is located in Templeton, a satellite town of Christchurch. It accommodates up to 934 (as of January 2008) minimum, medium and high security male prisoners. It was built in 1925, and also includes a youth unit, a self-care unit and the Paparua Remand Centre (PRC), built in 1999 to replace the old Addington Prison.

Christchurch Women’s Prison

Christchurch Women's Prison, also located in Templeton, is a facility for women of all security classifications. It has the only maximum/medium security accommodation for women prisoners in New Zealand. It can accommodate up to 98 prisoners.

Rolleston Prison

Rolleston prison is located in Rolleston, another satellite town of Christchurch. It accommodates around 320 male prisoners of minimum to low-medium security classifications and includes Kia Marama a sixty-bed unit that provides an intensive 9 month treatment programme for male child sex offenders.

Dunedin Prison

Dunedin prison, located in central Dunedin, is New Zealand's smallest prison, housing up to 59 medium security male prisoners, usually only local men on remand, awaiting transfer or serving short sentences. The building was completed in 1898 and its latest regime was adopted in 1975. Closed in 2007. A new Facility in nearby Milton was opened in 2007. This is called the Otago Corrections Facility.

Invercargill Prison

Invercargill Prison, in Invercargill, first became a prison in 1985. It accommodates up to 172 minimum to low-medium security prisoners.

New facilities

In addition, the New Zealand Department of Corrections is in the process of establishing three new correctional facilities, one for women and the other two for men. Please note that these are generally project names only and are in various stages of development.

Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility (ARWCF)

Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility is located in Wiri, a suburb of Auckland's Manukau City. The prison houses up to 286 minimum to high-medium female prisoners and was officially opened on Thursday 22 June 2006.

Spring Hill Corrections Facility (SHCF)

Spring Hill Corrections Facility, is located just south of Meremere, and houses up to 650 minimum to high-medium security prisoners.

Otago Corrections Facility (OCF)

Otago Corrections Facility is located near Milton and houses up to 335 minimum to high-medium security male prisoners.

See also

• New Zealand Department of Corrections
• List of prisons

External links

• The Department of Correction's website prison locator.