May 07, 2024
Prison plan substitute for housing fix
Former Māori affairs minister Willie Jackson says the Government’s $1.9 billion boost for Corrections shows it seems to think increasing prison beds is the solution to the Māori housing crisis.
The extra funding will revive the Waikeria super-prison plan shelved by Labour, more than tripling the mid-Waikato prison’s size to 1865 beds.
Mr Jackson says it shows a lack of vision.
“It’s typical them trying to look tough. It’s not about balance or rehabilitation, it’s just about locking up more Māori. We know that’s their strategy and they don’t seem to have any idea on the numbers – maybe this is their Māori housing programme, who knows?” he says.
The government is also allocating $78 million into funding rehabilitation programmed for remand prisoners, which the previous Government committed to.