04 June 2025
C197076
C Lane
[FYI request #30895 email]
Tēnā koe
Thank you for your request of 5 May 2025 to the Department of Corrections – Ara Poutama
Aotearoa, requesting information about Release to Work (RtW). Your request has been
considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
RtW is a type of temporary release which allows people with a minimum-security
classification, who are assessed as suitable, to engage in paid employment in the
community.
Employment and industry training, including our RtW programme, are hugely beneficial for
people in prison to gain real work experience and employment skills, making it easier for
them to find work on release. Having a job means someone can provide for themselves and
their family, connect with pro-social support and gives them a sense of pride. This helps
with their successful reintegration into the community.
People participating in RtW are paid at a market rate determined by their employer, and use
their wages to pay board to Corrections, any fines or reparation to victims and save for their
release.
People on RtW have previously taken part in unit and prison-based activities and education
to ensure they are well-prepared for community-based employment and that the public are
safe. You can find out more about RtW, including the eligibility criteria, application and
approval process, under section M.04.07 of the Prison Operations Manual, which is available
on our website at the following link:
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-
Manual/Movement/M.04-External-movement-transportation-of-prisoners/M.04.07-
release-to-work-RTW
Further information about RtW can be found on Corrections’ website at the following link:
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/our_work/in_prison/employment_and_support_program
mes/employment_activities/release_to_work
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
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For ease of response, your questions have been reordered and some questions are
answered together. You requested:
Please also clarify if RtW is available for inmates who are yet to meet first parole,
including those who are life sentenced with minimum parole periods.
Prisoners who are eligible for release to work must have a minimum-security classification
and be serving either a sentence of 24 months or less, a sentence over 24 months but who
have reached their Parole Eligibility Date, and those with low and low-medium security
classifications and have a release date set by the New Zealand Parole Board.
An eligible prisoner can apply to be considered for release to work at any time. People on
the RtW programme have shown that they have a desire to be productive members of their
communities and are assessed by an advisory panel.
Please provide me with the total number of instances of prisoners being released to
work outside of prison per week, since January 1, 2024.
Please break this down by prison. Please give me this information in an excel
spreadsheet.
Please see the spreadsheet attached as Appendix One showing the number of times a
prisoner was released on RtW for each week between 1 January 2024 and 2 May 2025,
broken down by prison.
Please note, Mt Eden Corrections Facility, Spring Hill Corrections Facility and Auckland
Prison do not run the RtW programme, as they do not hold appropriate population groups.
Additionally, Rimutaka Prison and Arohata Prison do not currently offer RtW due to staffing
challenges and Northland Region Corrections Facility is not offering RtW due to a shortage
of viable job opportunities in the region. As such, these prisons are not included in the
spreadsheet provided. Auckland South Corrections Facility is excluded from the data, as it is
managed by Serco, not Corrections.
When considering this information, please note that the data provided is manually recorded
at each site and is provided to the best of Corrections’ ability. It may be subject to change
over time as a result of retrospective assurance amendments being made.
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.
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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.
Nāku noa, nā
Sean Mason
Deputy Chief Executive
Communities, Partnerships and Pathways
