$300m maximum security prison runs into ‘unforeseen delays’
“Unforeseen delays” have hit the new $300 million rebuild of the outdated Auckland Prison at Paremoremo on the North Shore, the Department of Corrections says.
Last year, Corrections said the buildings — which include New Zealand’s only maximum security unit — were due to be finished in December and prisoners due to move by March.
But three months later, Corrections has admitted that no prisoners have been moved because of problems with the job.
“The construction of the new Auckland Prison is complete. Projects as big and as complex as this can, at times, develop unforeseen delays in the construction process,” a Corrections spokesman said.
“These were addressed by the contractors at no cost to Corrections.”
Fletcher Construction — hit by cost over-runs and problems on other sites — is the lead contractor at the project, which is Corrections’ biggest development.
In May last year, when the
visited, more than 700 workers were on the site and Corrections said that, by March this year, 690 prisoners would be housed there.
Fletcher worked with Firth Concrete to invent new “maxisecurity” construction blocks especially for the prison. Stuart West of Fletcher said last year those blocks weighed 17kg each, compared with a standard 12kg block.
A Fletcher representative said the company had nothing further to add to what Corrections had said.
The Corrections spokesman said this month that prisoners would begin moving in July.
“Corrections is now working to ensure the operational effectiveness of the site and is beginning to transition staff into the facility. The transfer of prisoners is expected to begin next month.
The new prison will have heart-beat detectors, security doors that unlock with a fingerprint scanner and a fivelayered fence.
Work has been taking place on the 54.7ha site for the past four years.
Last year, Andy Langley, Auckland Prison director, said the new buildings replaced much of the nearby 1968 jail and improved conditions for prisoners, staff and visitors.
“It becomes higher security than it was because there’s a single point of entry, whereas the existing prison has mul- tiple entry points, the fabric and design is at a very high level, and the perimeter fence has five detection layers,” Langley said last May.
“There’s a lot of separation internally as well as within each cell and unit.”
New standard accommodation maximum security cells have showers and are 9.09sq m, compared with old 5.81sq m cells.
All cells are on the ground floor, with staff areas above, compared with the old threelevel buildings were stairs created safety problems.
Corrections had last year made no decision about the old jail, with its traditional layout that followed standards set in the Victorian era.