Six inmates at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison have spent the night on the roof.
Five prisoners remain on the roof this morning. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
The prisoners, aged between 17 and 19, have been on the roof of the youth unit since Monday afternoon.
The group spent the night in freezing conditions, with MetService recording temperatures of just one degree overnight.
An RNZ reporter at the scene said the group seemed to be angry and were loudly yelling in his direction this morning.
A fire sprinkler had been set off by prisoners inside the unit this morning, a Corrections spokesperson said.
A fire truck was seen on site and alarm bells were ringing but the spokesperson said there was no fire risk.
Specialist teams were called to the prison last night.
Staff negotiated with them throughout the evening, and Advanced Control and Restraint and Prison Negotiation teams also spoke with the group.
A Corrections spokesperson said the situation was under control and there was no threat to the rest of the prison or the public.
"One prisoner has come down from the roof of the youth unit at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison this morning," chief custodial officer Neil Beales said.
Five other prisoners remained and all other prisoners were in the Youth Unit safely secured, he said.
The Corrections Association said there was no clear indication of why the inmates were on the roof and what demands they had to come back down.
Alan Whitley from the association said the youth unit was extensively damaged by the inmates who then climbed onto the roof.
Corrections have specialist negotiation and constraint teams on site, with staff regularly engaging with the group.
Children's Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers hoped the young people came down safely and soon.
She said once everyone was safe, it would be important for agencies to work with the prisoners to understand what had happened, to hear their voices, and to see how to prevent this from happening in future.
