The Department of Corrections is moving forward with the expansion of Waikeria into a “mega-jail” with almost 2,000 beds. This is being framed as a solution to public safety, but in reality, it exposes how badly the system has lost its way.
New Zealand Corrections is no longer focused on rehabilitation or reintegration. Instead, it is designing a system that keeps people in custody longer, with harsher regimes like PERD and TNOC becoming the norm. These policies deliberately restrict access to education, rehabilitation, and family connection, ensuring that people remain trapped in cycles of imprisonment.
Corrections should never be allowed more power to create the very problems it claims to be solving. History has shown that bigger prisons don’t fix violence, mental health issues, or re-offending. They only hide the crisis from public view while punishing communities — especially Māori, who remain disproportionately targeted.
Instead of building mega-jails, New Zealand needs to:
Invest in mental health services, addiction treatment, and community-based programmes.
Expand access to rehabilitation, education, and training inside prison.
Focus on reintegration and whānau support, not permanent isolation.
Uphold human rights standards like the Mandela Rules and NZBORA, rather than undermining them.
Corrections is choosing to double down on failed approaches. This expansion is not about safety or rehabilitation — it is about power and control. If we allow this to continue, the cycle of harm will only deepen.
This is why we need urgent change. Please sign and share the petition to show that Aotearoa does not accept mega-jails and abusive regimes as the future of our justice.