O'Connor Damien: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
O'Connor Damien: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:640;Page:10513] 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Corrections) 
: 
 I could sit down here and for the next 10 minutes read off a list of incidents that have happened in corrections under a National Government. I do not think that anyone would pretend that incidents are not part and parcel of corrections life but we hope to keep them to the minimum and not to have any tragic consequences as a result of any of them. I acknowledge—and have done so to the families of these victims—that in the case of Liam Ashley and the Kuchenbeckers through the Burton situation we have had tragic outcomes from mistakes that were made in the justice system. 
I say though to go back to a couple of points raised by the previous speaker that when we came into Government there were two drug and alcohol units but yes they were delivering very few places in the corrections system for people with drug and alcohol problems. At the end of next year we will have six drug and alcohol units operating in this country and there will be places for 500 inmates. I have opened two new drug and alcohol units myself and there are two more to be opened. We have committed a huge amount into this area after years and years of neglect. 
The member referred to literacy and numeracy issues but never has there been more money poured into education in the corrections system than is currently happening. We now have prisoners leaving prison with New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) credits—for many of them it is the first time they have ever achieved anything. I have been very proud to go to those celebrations where prisoners have broken down in a couple of instances because they have received acknowledgment of their talents. Each and every one of them has talents but we cannot turn their lives around overnight. The member says that we should fix up these prisoners while they are in prison. Well all we can do is offer them opportunities to address their drug and alcohol and literacy problems and we are doing so. 
In terms of employment less than 40 percent of the prison population were usefully employed when Labour took over. We have set the target under the Prisoner Employment Strategy of 60 percent of the prison population being employed or in training. I today visited Tongariro/Rangipo Prison to see the growth in opportunities that we are creating there for prisoners to get NZQA credits and to try to make something useful of the time they spend in prison so that when they leave they will be able to move into useful jobs and hopefully not return. 
Mr Borrows said—and I would like to check this out because I think I would certainly issue instructions to start a shoe factory again if what he said were true—that none of those prisoners ever returned to prison. Well I do not think there would be one programme in the world of which that could be said—unfortunately. It is not that we should not strive for such an outcome but that member said that no one ever returned. I think that that might be stretching the truth a little bit I tell Mr Borrows. 
We do our best to provide useful employment and training within the prison system. We have moved to get accreditation for that skills training so that people can leave with credits and I am very proud—as are most of the people in the corrections system—of the progress we have made in these areas of drug and alcohol rehabilitation of better health services and of improved opportunities for employment. Once again I say thank you to the people who work in the corrections system for their commitment and their work in the face of very trying times. 
Sandra Goudie 
: Well the taxpayer isn’t thanking the Minister for the incredible waste of public money. 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: But National members like that member there just want to harp on and criticise each and every one of them time and time again for no good reason.