Minister wants answers on prison riot escalation
There will be two reviews into a five-night protest by prisoners at Waikeria Prison in Waikato.
Sixteen prisoners surrendered and were escorted out at midday yesterday by Rawiri Waititi, coleader of the Ma¯ ori Party.
During the standoff, the prisoners lit multiple fires which destroyed the ‘top jail’ facility, and threw debris at staffers from the rooftops. They were not protesting over living conditions, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis told media and Corrections said the men hadn’t raised complaints before these events.
The majority of the men involved are members of the Mongols and Comancheros’ gangs, Davis said. Five are deportees from Australia, with three subject to returning offender orders because of their criminal convictions.
After a haka and a karakia, the men came down from the roof to a pie and soft drink, Waititi said outside the prison.
Davis said the men destroyed the ‘‘top jail’’ facility and that shouldn’t be glorified.
The Waikeria building was ‘‘not fit for anything now’’ and remand prisoners had to be sent across the country. ‘‘[The men] damaged property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and they put their own lives and the health and safety of staff and other prisoners at risk.’’
Police would decide if the men would be charged for the destruction of the facility.
Two reviews have been commissioned after Davis asked Corrections to review how the situation escalated to the extent it did.
The Human Rights Commission has called for a further independent inquiry by the Ombudsman. Chief Com
missioner Paul Hunt said while there was “no shortage of reports and recommendations ... progress is glacial”.
Davis didn’t make any public comment during the disorder, but said he got hourly briefings most days. ‘‘These men wanted political attention, and unfortunately those who waded into the issue in order to generate headlines only helped to embolden them, extend the duration of the event, and increase the risk to safety.’’
Waititi, who helped end the protest, said the surrendering prisoners were ‘‘tired and hungry but still very determined to see change’’.
‘‘They have achieved what they set out to do when they embarked on bringing attention to their maltreatment in prison.’’
Even prison guards acknowledged the unit was in an unacceptable state, Waititi said. ‘‘Whilst people that do crime must serve their time, they must also be treated in a just and humane way.
‘‘These men are not animals, they are humans; they are brothers, fathers and sons and are deserving of better treatment.’’
He acknowledged the authorities involved and said he was elated at the outcome, noting authorities allowed ‘‘Ma¯ ori to deal with our own in a Ma¯ ori way’’.
Corrections incident controller Jeanette Burns said the prisoners fired missiles at staff and she thanked the Corrections staff dealing with the protest.
Corrections earlier warned the situation was ‘‘incredibly volatile’’, mentioning tensions between group members, access to weapons and possibly to drugs from the dispensary.
Burned buildings were also at risk of collapse, or the materials could be toxic, she said.
[The men’s] point has been made,’’ Burns said. ‘‘We are currently building a new facility to replace the existing top jail.’’