Manawatu Prison engineering workshop and the old joinery workshop at Rimutaka Prison near Wellington are to close, the Corrections Department has confirmed.
Labour's law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove says the workshops are vital resources to rehabilitate prisoners and give them skills.
He says the closures contradict statements made by Corrections Minister Judith Collins that she wants more prisoners to receive rehabilitation and work opportunities.
However Ms Collins says inmates at the two prisons will still get training in construction through partnerships with different tertiary institutions.
She says prisoner work opportunities have grown significantly over the past three years.