Hon Mark Mitchell
Minister of Corrections

Funding through Budget 2025 will deliver 240 new high security beds at Christchurch Men’s Prison, along with a new Health Centre and Intervention and Support Unit containing 52 beds, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell announced today at the Investment Summit in Auckland.

"Our government is committed to restoring law and order and ensuring there are consequences for crime, and because of that we’ve seen the prison population nearing its March 2018 peak,” Mr Mitchell says.

“We’re investing in our prisons to meet the growing demand for capacity, keep frontline staff, prisoners and the public safe, and provide the best possible environment to rehabilitate prisoners to reduce the risk of reoffending.

“We are also well aware that big infrastructure projects like this create jobs for ordinary Kiwis and that is why we are keen to see this project up and running as quickly as possible,” says Mr Mitchell.

Cabinet has agreed to provide funding for Phase 1 of Corrections’ Christchurch Men’s Prison Redevelopment Programme. The indicative capital cost for construction of the facilities in Phase 1 of this redevelopment is approximately $700-$800 million.

Phase 1 of the redevelopment will be designed, built, financed, and maintained for a period of 25 years under a Public Private Partnership (PPP), with Corrections retaining responsibility for operations and custodial management of the facility.

“Delivery of this work as a PPP supports the Government’s Going for Growth programme by promoting infrastructure investment in New Zealand.

“This investment will help ensure we have enough fit-for-purpose beds to manage high security prisoners, and that Corrections has sufficient capacity to meet the growing prison population.

“The new Intervention and Support Unit will provide dedicated, specialist mental health support to prisoners who are at risk of harming themselves or others. This unit will be safer for staff, giving them the facilities they need to do their jobs well, and will be a much better environment for the prisoners being treated there,” Mr Mitchell says.

“A significant number of prisoners experience mental health issues, which can be extremely challenging for both them and our frontline staff.

“The new Health Centre will deliver a range of healthcare services to the men in prison. In addition to nurses and general practitioners, the new facility will host a range of other health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, physiotherapists, optometrists and dentists.

“Helping prisoners address their mental health and health care needs is essential to ensuring they can go on to take part in other rehabilitation programmes and treatment.

“The staff at Christchurch Men’s Prison work incredibly hard to manage some of this country’s most dangerous people and keep New Zealanders safe. We are committed to ensuring they have safe, modern facilities to work in and an environment where they can deliver effective rehabilitation, mental health and health services,” Mr Mitchell says.

Key facts/Q&A

Why is the Government redeveloping Christchurch Men’s Prison?

· Corrections has developed a Long-Term Network Configuration Plan to meet anticipated prison population growth and ensure New Zealand has sufficient prison capacity and modern, fit-for-purpose infrastructure that supports the safe and effective delivery of services in prison.

· Christchurch Men’s Prison is the primary high security site in the South Island. It services some of New Zealand’s busiest courts, encompasses the largest geographic catchment of any prison, and is critical to ensuring resilience across the national prison network.

· The site has aging facilities and infrastructure, which are expensive to maintain and risk causing operational security issues. A number of high security beds at Christchurch Men’s Prison were decommissioned in 2022 due to quality and seismic issues, which has reduced the high security accommodation available at this site. This has resulted in high security prisoners being transferred to Otago Corrections Facility.

What is the Christchurch Men’s Prison Redevelopment Programme?

· The Christchurch Men’s Prison Redevelopment Programme is a multi-phased programme focused on delivering new high security capacity and supporting infrastructure at Christchurch Men’s Prison.

· There are four phases to this redevelopment. Phase 1 and Phase 2 were presented to investors at the New Zealand Infrastructure Investment Summit.

How much will this cost? How much funding has been allocated through Budget 2025?

· A pre-Budget 2025 commitment has been made to provide funding for Phase 1.

· The indicative capital cost for construction of the facilities in Phase 1 of this redevelopment is approximately $700 - $800 million.

· There will be other operating costs as part of the PPP arrangement for facilities maintenance, asset management services, and financing. These costs will only be established once further details such as advanced designs are agreed.

· The cost of the whole PPP transaction cannot be finalised until after the procurement process and negotiations with the successful consortium are complete.

· Budget 2025 funding will support the construction to be undertaken in Phase 1 of the redevelopment.

· Corrections will also be investing some of its own capital funding from existing baselines towards the work.

· The exact funding allocated in Budget 2025 remains commercially sensitive at this time to ensure Corrections can negotiate a PPP that delivers value for taxpayer dollars.

What will be built as a result of this funding through Budget 2025?

· The investment through Budget 2025 will allow Corrections to undertake Phase 1 of the Christchurch Men’s Prison redevelopment.

· It will redevelop:

• The High Security Accommodation Building, with 240 high security beds being built.
• The Intervention and Support Unit and Health Centre. There will be 52 beds in the Intervention and Support Unit – 26 of these are expected to be dedicated ISU beds, with the remaining 26 available for other mental health support/transitioning out of the ISU. The current Health Centre and Intervention and Support Unit at Christchurch Men’s Prison are considered to be at their end-of-life, with inadequate and unsuitable facilities, including an outdated design which prevents effective delivery of services. These facilities continue to be criticised by the Office of the Inspectorate and Ombudsman reports because of the standard of facilities and care available to prisoners.
• Other supporting facilities and infrastructure, including the receiving office and property store, to support day-to-day site operations.

How many beds does Christchurch Men’s Prison currently have? How many new beds are being built?

· There are currently 926 operational beds (of which 346 are high security) at Christchurch Men’s Prison.

· Once the 240 beds from Phase 1 of the project open, this will bring the total number of operational beds at Christchurch Men’s Prison to 1,166.

Will these beds be double bunked?

· There will be 160 cells for the 240 beds, however, all cells have the capacity to be double bunked, if needed.

· Operational decisions around level of double bunking will be made at the time the facility opens, based on the prison population at that time. In the current state, 50 percent of cells are anticipated to be double bunked on a day-to-day basis.

· If demand for prison beds reduces, Corrections will have the option to fill cells on a single occupancy basis.

When will these new beds open?

· Corrections recently undertook a second round of market engagement.

· Construction for Phase 1 of the redevelopment is expected to start in mid-2026 and is expected to be completed in 2029.

· This means we expect the 240 beds to be open in December 2029, alongside the Intervention and Support Unit and Health Centre.

Operational beds at all prisons and Christchurch Men’s Prison as at 6 March 2025

Table notes:

· This table shows operational bed capacity. The number of open and operational beds on any given day can vary and is not static. It is based on a number of factors, including the availability of staff to meet required ratios of staff to prisoners. The number of physical beds (known as maximum capacity) is higher, at more than 11,500 beds across the prison estate.

· The Intervention and Support Unit (ISU) beds have not been included in the operational bed totals referenced above.

How many prisoners are you forecasting over the next decade?

· Currently there are approximately 10,500 people in prison nationwide.

· The 2024 Indicative Justice Sector Projections of prison population figures projected an increase from 9,900 to 11,500 prisoners over the next decade. Proposed policy initiatives could see this increase further to a peak of 13,900 prisoners in the same period.

Onsite prison population at all prisons and Christchurch Men’s Prison as at 6 March 2025

What is a PPP?

· For this project, a Public Private Partnership (PPP) means that a private sector consortium signs a contract with Corrections to design, build, finance and maintain the new facility for the duration of the contract, expected to be for a period of 25 years.

· The consortium is likely to include a construction partner, design team, banks and other investors, and specialist asset management and facilities maintenance companies. The operation of the prison and custody of prisoners will continue to be carried out by Corrections.

Why use a PPP?

· A PPP allows Corrections to use private sector expertise to ensure design and infrastructure best practice, innovation, and expertise, while delivering value for taxpayer money.

· A PPP also offers strong performance incentives based on payment for good performance and abatement for poor performance, providing greater certainty around delivery and long-term asset performance.

Will Christchurch Men’s Prison become a privately run prison?

· No – while construction and ongoing maintenance will be delivered under a PPP, Corrections will retain responsibility for operations and custodial management of the facility.

Why is the Christchurch Men’s Prison Redevelopment Programme being delivered in phases?

· A phased approach to the redevelopment means Corrections can increase capacity within the required timeframes, while minimising disruption to the day-to-day operations of the prison, alongside spreading the funding requirements across Budgets.

· The initial round of market engagement also confirmed that Corrections’ approach to delivering across multiple phases is well supported by the market, with recognition of the benefits in managing construction workforce capacity, providing continuity of the programme and achieving efficiencies in procurement and design

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