Hardened but not out for the count – the prison story

Dale sat down for a korero with Rhonda Hāpi-Smith. Have a listen HERE  Its a Gripping true-life stories from a career spent inside New Zealand prisons. Rhonda Hāpi-Smith has walked among some of New Zealand’s most dangerous criminals. As a female prison officer and member of the Riot Squad, she met and worked with thieves,…


Dale sat down for a korero with Rhonda Hāpi-Smith. Have a listen HERE 

Its a Gripping true-life stories from a career spent inside New Zealand prisons.

Rhonda Hāpi-Smith has walked among some of New Zealand’s most dangerous criminals. As a female prison officer and member of the Riot Squad, she met and worked with thieves, addicts, gangsters, murderers and sex offenders for nearly twenty years in men’s prisons around the country.

Operating within an unspoken set of codes, Rhonda built a reputation for herself as fair but firm. She dealt with everything from mass riots and inter-gang hits to attempted escapes, suicides and segregated ‘maxi’ detainees.

But alongside the twisted and the downright terrifying, Rhonda shares stories of unlikely friendships, ingenious prison innovations, and moments of hilarity with some of the best people she’s ever known. When you walk inside the wire, you leave the ordinary world behind. Put your game face on and here we go! More about the book here

Author

  • Radio Waatea is Auckland’s only Māori radio station that provides an extensive bi-lingual broadcast to its listeners. Based at Ngā Whare Waatea marae in Māngere, it is located in the middle of the biggest Māori population in Aotearoa.