Te Tūāpapa Whakaharatau Understanding Prison Violence in Aotearoa

Abstract

As National Commissioner of Ara Poutama Aotearoa, the safety of our Corrections whānau - our staff and the people in our prisons - has always been a top priority for me. We are committed to ensuring we operate prisons that protect the safety of those in our care, our staff, and our communities. A number of highly complex factors contribute to violence in our prison environments. Corrections continues to implement initiatives to maintain safe prisons and address the rate of interpersonal violence across our prisons. Forging strong and collaborative partnerships with partner agencies and learning from our differing perspectives is key to making progress on this issue. Since my involvement in the Governance Committee of Nga Tūmanakotanga I’ve been encouraged with the commitment to partner with Māori in this area, which closely aligns with our own Ara Poutama Hōkai Rangi strategy. The Nga Tūmanakotanga online symposium, Understanding Prison Violence in Aotearoa, was held in December 2020 and was the result of a collaborative and ongoing partnership between Ara Poutama Aotearoa, Nga Tūmanakotanga, and Waikato University. This symposium provided a valued and much needed opportunity to discuss the complex issues of prison violence with a wider and public audience. The insightful kōrero, experiences, and expertise of the speakers brought voices from diverse perspectives to the fore. This book has been transcribed from the symposium and provides the opportunity to engage and educate readers on the less visible aspects of prison violence.