Corrections has accepted 117 of the Office of the Inspectorate's 121 recommendations, and partially accepted one other. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
A prison watchdog has made more than 100 recommendations following an inquiry into the country's worst prison riot, but Corrections has not accepted them all.
The six-day riot at Waikeria Prison between December 2020 and January 2021 resulted in more than $50 million worth of damage, and a high-security unit burned to the ground.
All but one of the 17 people charged have been sentenced to prison, with the remaining defendant's trial expected to be held this year.
In a briefing to its incoming minister, written late last year and only recently made public, Corrections said the Office of the Inspectorate had looked into the circumstances behind the riot at the King Country jail.
The department accepted 117 of the watchdog's 121 recommendations, and partially accepted one other. It said the report had not yet been released publicly because court proceedings were ongoing. However, the briefing did give an indication as to the nature of some of the recommendations.
"Over half of the recommendations from the report relate to our emergency management and tactical response capability. This is expected given the scale of the event," it said.
"A core finding of the Inspectorate was that Corrections was not sufficiently prepared for an event of this magnitude."
Corrections said it had taken action on some of the recommendations, with 29 implemented at the time the briefing was written. A further 52 were hoped to be completed by the end of June.
"While the most pressing response was emergency management and tactical response capability, Corrections is also continuing to make progress against the other recommendations," it said.
The remaining 37 recommendations were considered longer-term, while 34 of those were expected to be completed within two years, and three recommendations may take longer, it said.
However, Corrections noted those timeframes could change, as it was currently undergoing an organisational restructure in response to another watchdog agency's findings.
Changes made following other watchdog reports
The briefing said the Chief Ombudsman's recent systemic investigation into Corrections had been a "critical consideration" as part of the restructure, which would be implemented in the next few months.
It said the changes would make lines of accountability clearer.
"These changes aim to deliver more effective rehabilitation and reintegration services and enable more local control over how outcomes are achieved and services are delivered.
"We are also establishing clearer role responsibilities and accountabilities, and developing the capability of our people and leaders, so they can lead this shift in how we work to focus more clearly on delivering the best possible outcomes."
Meanwhile, the briefing also revealed changes to the way female prisoners are searched - a 2019 law change meant Corrections was allowed to start searching prisoners using technology for the first time.
Corrections introduced full-body imaging technology last year as a "safe and humane alternative".
The changes come after a 2021 report by the Office of the Inspectorate which said some women found strip-searches traumatising and degrading. That report recommended Corrections review its search procedures, but noted it was trialling body scanners at the time.