Waikeria Prison

I visited Waikeria Prison to see the great work that is being done as a partnership between Corrections and our local Mental Health and Addictions service.

A mental health inpatient unit with 96 beds is being built as part of a wider $750m build project at the site.

What is exciting about this development is the respect for indigenous culture and the focus on rehabilitation and recovery.

There is a real attempt in the mental health facility to ensure that it is truly a therapeutic environment with modern rooms not cells, with no bars on the windows, clustered in groups of eight. There is also a clear desire to develop a common culture between Corrections staff and health staff.

This facility has the potential to be an exemplar internationally.