June 07, 2022
Touch of sadness as Waikeria meets wrecking ball
Work has started demolishing a 100-year-old wing at Waikeria Prison which was extensively damaged in a riot which broke out around New Year 2021.
Ngāti Raukawa and Maniapoto elders held a ceremony at the site last week to spiritually clear the land before the wrecking ball moved in.
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says not only former staff but some former were sad to see the end of the no-longer fit for purpose prison.
“Many people had an attachment just through the experiences they had there over the years and a number of prisoners as well have expressed the felt a touch of sadness about the place getting caught up in the riots. It’s interesting the attachments people put to places. Regardless of how long or how short you were there, it still forms part of your life and your life’s experiences,” he says.
The site will be turned into pasture land while a new 500 bed prison will be built about 800 meters along the road.