Northland Region Corrections Facility Photo:
Prisoners at Northland Region Corrections Facility are being served some of their meals too early, with lunch served around 11am and dinner between 2.30 and 3.30pm, an inspection report has revealed.
Chief inspector Janis Adair says they found much that was positive at the site but some aspects could be improved.
While healthcare was being provided, issues had arisen in accessing the prison's health team with an unreasonably large number of nurse clinic cancellations.
Other issues included some men being held for too long in the Placements Unit and while most prisoners and staff felt safe in their units, some had seen others bullied.
The kitchen was clean, but workers were not always following all food hygiene standards.
Prisoners are are wanting more upskilling opportunities while they see out their time.
The report says about 130 men of the 533 in the facility had jobs in prison industries when the inspection was done in May 2024.
This includes building houses for Kāinga Ora and unit-based employment.
However, the different industries were trying to access workers from the same group of suitable prisoners.
Adair said many prisoners were wanting to undertake more jobs, education or prison programmes.
"Some prisoners had access to programmes and education. However, in many units, most prisoners had little to do," Adair said.
"The site was managing a high proportion of remand prisoners, and the case management team was struggling to meet with prisoners in a timely manner and create offender plans. This was a known risk at the site.
"The leadership team was stable and we observed good relationships with local iwi Ngāti Rangi, union representatives, and other stakeholders."
Prisoners could have access to family and whānau through regular in-person visits and video calling.
Sixty-two percent of the prisoners were Māori and while these men had some access to their culture through tikanga Māori programmes, access varied and was limited in some units.
"I expect prison management to develop an action plan to address any challenges and I will be monitoring their progress," said Ms Adair.
While part of Corrections, the Inspectorate is independent and operates under the Corrections Act 2004 and the Corrections Regulations 2005.
