09 July 2024
C182227
Caleb
fyi‐request‐26890‐[email address]
Tēnā koe Caleb
Thank you for your email of 20 May 2024 to the Department of Corrections – Ara Poutama
Aotearoa, requesting information about the self‐service kiosk complaints system. Your
request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
We do everything possible to provide the safest environment we can for staff and people in
prison and take our duty of care seriously. If someone in prison or their family has any
concerns for their health and wellbeing, we strongly urge them to talk to staff.
There are a number of methods by which a prisoner, or a person acting on behalf of a
prisoner, is able to make a complaint. We always aim to resolve any complaints at the
lowest possible level and prisoners are encouraged in the first instance to complete a PC.01
prisoner complaint form. However, complaints can also be raised with their lawyer, the
Prison General Manager, through the Early Resolution Team, with the Office of the
Inspectorate or to the Office of the Ombudsman. These channels are free for any prisoner to
contact, with contact details readily available. Some complaints can also be sent directly to
Corrections National Office or to the Minister of Corrections. All complaints are taken
seriously.
Another avenue for requests and complaints are through the prisoner kiosks that have been
available in all prisons since December 2022. This method has made it easier for people in
prison to lodge and manage requests and complaints. It enables people in prison to easily
access the complaint process, track the progress of their requests and complaints, and
provides an option to escalate complaints if they are unhappy with the initial complaint
outcome. It also allows staff to manage, allocate and resolve complaints and requests more
efficiently. This new system allows Prison General Managers and Principal Corrections
Officers to see how individual units and sites are tracking with handling incoming requests
and complaints, with the aim being to resolve such issues easily and as early as possible.
NATIONAL OFFICE, WELLINGTON
Mayfair House, 44 – 52 The Terrace, Wellington, 6011, Private Box 1206, Wellington 6140,
Phone +64 4 460 3000
www.corrections.govt.nz
You requested:
Number of Requests Received:
Please provide the total number of requests received through the self‐service kiosk
system since its launch.
Break down the requests by site (prison location) and month.
Escalated Complaints:
How many of these requests escalated into formal PC.01 complaints?
Provide a breakdown of escalated complaints by site and month.
Corrections does not operate a centralised system which identifies what avenue a complaint
was made through. To obtain this information we would need to manually review each
request received through the kiosk and PC.01. Therefore, these parts of your request are
refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as the information cannot be made available without
substantial collation or research.
In accordance with section 18A and 18B of the OIA, we have considered whether fixing a
charge, extending the time limit or asking you to refine or amend your request would
enable us to provide a response. However, given the scale of the request, we do not
consider this would be an appropriate use of our publicly funded resources.
Allegations Against Staff:
How many allegations have been made against staff members specifically lodged to
the kiosk system (IR.07)?
Again, please provide a breakdown by site and month.
Appendix One provides the number of IR.07 allegations submitted via the prisoner kiosks
from August 2022 to May 2024, broken down by site and month. Please note, the kiosks
were progressively rolled out to sites from August to November 2022, hence the gradual
increase in kiosk use during that time. The volume of IR.07s which are upheld have
remained relatively stable irrespective of the increase in IR.07s received, suggesting that the
increase does not relate to an actual increase in poor conduct by staff.
Please note that this response may be published on Corrections’ website. Typically,
responses are published quarterly or as otherwise determined. Your personal information
including name and contact details will be removed for publication.
I hope this information is helpful. I encourage you to raise any concerns about this response
with Corrections. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to raise any concerns with the
Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152,
Wellington 6143.
Ngā mihi
Richard Waggott
Deputy Chief Executive
Organisational Resilience and Safety
