Pitcairn work recognised

WELLINGTON: Working as a prison officer in New Zealand is one thing, but at Her Majesty’s Prison Pitcairn is a completely different affair.

The remote Pacific island — a British Overseas Territory — is where seven Corrections officers have spent the past 10 months, monitoring the last man found guilty in 2006 of sexually abusing children.

A group of New Zealand prison officers also spent time at HMP Pitcairn in deployments between 2006 and 2009 at the request of the British government, to monitor six men found guilty of sexual offences.

The efforts of the small contingent who worked at the prison in 201617 were recognised this week with the presentation of Pacific Pins by Corrections Minister Louise Upston and commemorative coins by British High Commissioner Jonathan Sinclair.

The team leader for the deployment served the full 10 months and the remaining six staff for between three and six months.

‘‘It’s a big ask to bring together a team of staff to help aid another country at such an isolated Pacific island like Pitcairn,’’ Corrections national commissioner Rachel Leota said.

During the deployment, officers also helped with concreting a new harbour and other community projects.

The Pitcairns are made up of four islands — Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno — and can only be accessed by boat.

The islands are only 47sq km in size and are populated by descendants of nine men from HMS Bounty, who mutinied in 1790, and Tahitians who accompanied them.

The islands have 50 permanent residents, originating from four families.