Address to Prison Services Managers' Development Forum, The Copthorne - Hotel Commodore, Christchurch

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. 

It is very good to be here with people who have one of the most important jobs in New Zealand - keeping the public safe from the country's most difficult and dangerous people.

In the four months that I have been Corrections Minister, I have been busy getting to know the portfolio and many of those who work in Corrections.

I have visited five prisons, and been impressed with the ideas and enthusiasm shown to me by staff. I have met many good people who show courage and commitment every working day.

On 12 March, I had the pleasure of attending the Corrections Officer graduation ceremony at the Staff Training College at Rimutaka Prison. 

I was taken by the pride displayed by the graduates. Here was a group of people who really wanted to make a difference to New Zealand. 

They understood their role was about ensuring public safety. They were hopeful, but realistic, about helping prisoners turn their lives around. 

And they were also aware of some of the difficulties they would face in their day-to-day roles.

I was convinced that if the pride, professionalism and enthusiasm of these new graduates could be retained over their career with Corrections, we would be a long way down the path to achieving a culture of excellence.

Your role as a Prison Manager is to build an environment where staff display this sense of pride and professionalism.

In the few months since becoming Minister, I have signalled that I would like to see that bar raised in terms of performance from Corrections. 

Corrections plays a critical role in ensuring public safety and it is my duty to ensure that Corrections performs this task to a very high standard. It is essential that the public has full confidence in the corrections system.

It is critical for public safety that frontline staff do the basics right and that prisoners are securely managed.

As the Minister of Corrections, I am committed to building the effectiveness of front-line staff. I will support Corrections by promoting a culture of excellence, accountability and professionalism throughout the organisation.

You are all prison managers because you have shown leadership, organisational skills and initiative. 

As we move towards a culture of excellence, accountability and professionalism, you will be calling on all those skills.

It will be your role to ensure that staff are clear about their responsibilities, and that basic procedures are followed to protect the safety of the public.

You need to ensure that you regularly check that the basics are done, through measuring key performance drivers, regular audits and on-the-ground observation. 

And you need to act swiftly, and with appropriate weight, when the basics are not being done. 

Why do we need a culture of excellence, accountability and professionalism?

The corrections sector in New Zealand faces enormous challenges in the years ahead.

Currently, New Zealand has one of the highest incarceration rates in the developed world. Approximately 70% of the people who leave our prisons are reconvicted and re-sentenced within four years. Approximately half our prison population is Maori.

These are serious issues that this government will be working with Corrections to address.

We have no choice.

We simply can't keep building more prisons. The social and financial cost is too high.

I believe part of the answer is taking our existing prisons and making them more efficient and more effective at turning lives around.

I'm realistic enough to know that some people can't be rehabilitated. But for those who are willing to stay on the straight and narrow, we owe it to them to ensure that they get every opportunity to do so.

We have to put far more effort into rehabilitation, and this government has promised to double the spaces available for drug rehabilitation.

It is a practical step we can take.

Another practical step is the private management of prisons.

I introduced legislation into the House last week which will enable the private management of both new and existing prisons. 

It is crucial that we deliver the very best corrections service for New Zealand. To achieve this, I believe we shouldn't limit our choices.

In order to have a world-class corrections system, we need exposure to world-class innovation and expertise.

Allowing private companies to provide custodial services creates an opportunity to benefit from private sector initiative and know-how. 

Each privately managed prison will have a performance contract established, with rewards and sanctions attached to key performance measures and standards.

I would expect that the performance framework established for private prisons would mirror that imposed on all prisons across the public system. 

As Minister, I would look very closely at the comparative performance of private prisons versus public prisons to ensure that all prisons are continuously improving their performance.

As Prison Managers, you need to be prepared to operate within this competitive environment. 

To be successful, you will need to ensure that your prison is at the top of its game. You will need to clearly demonstrate that your prison's performance is strong through using meaningful, tangible performance measures. 

You will need to demonstrate that you are open to innovative ways of doing things. For this, you will need to demonstrate that you are listening to your staff about what they think is needed to help them do their jobs better. 

You have an opportunity to establish performance benchmarks that will allow your prison to thrive in the new, competitive environment.

I think this development forum is a fantastic initiative. It's an opportunity for you to learn, to share ideas, and for you to sharpen your skills. 

These skills will be tested over the next few years.

I hope that you learn a lot from this forum, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of your learning reflected in the continuous growth in performance of your prisons.

Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to visit your prison and feel a great sense of optimism, purpose, professionalism and a commitment to excellence.

Thank you.