Hundreds of prisoners will be taking part in activities and learning valuable catering skills by preparing and cooking meals for approximately 8,000 people in prison on Christmas Day.

“A basic, nutritious meal will be served on Christmas Day, with roast chicken, gravy and vegetables for lunch, and roast beef and salad sandwiches for dinner, along with two Christmas mince pies to acknowledge the day,” says Brigid Kean, Deputy National Commissioner.

“Our Christmas lunch is the same at all of the 17 prisons we manage nationwide and is similar to what we have provided on Christmas Day for many years.

All meals in prison are prepared and cooked by prisoners taking part in industry training and employment in prison kitchens, under the supervision of qualified instructors. Taking part in training and employment in prisons aims to prepare people for employment on their release from custody.

“Christmas Day is much the same as any other day in prison, but where possible we offer additional sports and other activities to make the Christmas period special,” says Ms Kean.

“We know Christmas can be a really difficult time, particularly for the families of those in prison. Throughout December our sites provide whānau activities where children can read books, make gifts and play games with their mum or dad to celebrate the season.

“Current staffing pressures have meant that some prisons have not been able to host face-to-face visits, however we have provided people in prison with over 100 additional laptops to facilitate extra AVL visits between people in prison and their friends and whānau.”

“It’s also important for us to recognise that many of our staff will be working on Christmas Day and right throughout the break.

“Corrections operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, so I really want to acknowledge our incredible frontline staff who will be working. Thank you to each and every one of you for your commitment to supporting the people we manage to make meaningful change in their lives, and for keeping New Zealanders safe throughout the holiday period.”

Corrections staff and people in prison have been contributing to their local communities in the build up to Christmas.

Women taking part in the Puppies in Prison programme at Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility have made Christmas outfits for their dogs. The programme is run in collaboration with Mobility Dogs, and the women train the dogs in mobility, therapy and companion support. Two of the dogs will be celebrating their second birthday on Christmas Day, and the women will be celebrating with them.

Men working in the Auckland Prison vegetable garden have been hard at work growing and donating 800kg of fresh produce over the Christmas period. This year, they are collaborating with charitable foodbank the Good Works Trust and providing a one-off donation to the Auckland City Mission’s annual Christmas lunch.

Staff at prisons and Community Corrections sites across the country have collected gifts for both the children of prisoners and local charities. Our volunteers and staff have put together over 800 gift packs for children with mothers in prison, comprising of story books, interactive board games, coloured pencils and stationery, and chess sets.

For the seventh year in a row, the team at Auckland Prison have donated 80 gifts to Women’s Refuge on Auckland’s North Shore. Staff at National Office have also donated 23 boxes of gifts and essential items to the Wellington City Mission.

“Christmas gives people in prison the opportunity to make a difference in their community, which we know provides a sense of purpose and pride. This can be an important step towards a person making positive change in their lives,” says Ms Kean.

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