Corrections has welcomed another 135 new Corrections Officers to the frontline, with recruits from Cohort 102 celebrating their success with whānau and friends at a Celebration of Learning ceremony at the National Learning Centre in Upper Hutt on Friday.

Celebration of Learning ceremonies are held to celebrate Corrections Officers completing Phase Two of their Corrections Officer Development Pathway.

“The Celebration of Learning ceremony officially recognises our new staff and the start of their careers with us,” says Neil Beales, Deputy Commissioner Men’s Prisons.

“Over the past five weeks, our recruits have undergone comprehensive training focused on custodial practice, safety and security, including thorough tactical options training. I would like to acknowledge our new recruits and the work they’ve done to get to this point.

“They have a lot to be proud of, they are coming to a great team, but they also have a big responsibility ahead.

“Being a Corrections Officer can be challenging work, but it can also be deeply rewarding knowing you can positively impact peoples’ lives and help keep communities safe.”

New recruit Solomoni Raravula was Cohort 102’s Tātou Award winner for championing all five of the Corrections values: rangatira (leadership), manaaki (respect), wairua (spirituality), kaitiaki (guardianship) and whānau (relationships).

Solomoni was nominated by the whole National Learning Centre team for outstanding leadership during his time there.

“We’ve had such a large cohort this time around, and he has been the person ensuring people are where they are supposed to be. Through organising after hours sporting and cultural activities, he has fostered bonds between the new recruits and supported everyone to look after their wellbeing.”

This phase of recruits’ learning typically takes place at the National Learning Centre before the recruits head back to their home prison sites for further training. However, due to the high number of new Corrections Officers, Cohort 102 has been split with some of the recruits undertaking Phase Two of their training in Christchurch.

Corrections has been making a concerted effort to recruit, retain and train frontline custodial staff. This includes launching our recruitment campaign, strengthening recruitment processes, improving onboarding processes, implementing new rosters which provide staff with better work/life balance and help them to avoid fatigue, and continuously working to improve staff safety.

More than 1,450 Corrections Officers have been recruited into roles since the launch of our recruitment campaign in October 2022.

The 10 week initial Corrections Officer Development Pathway is followed by 40 weeks of continued development, which allows recruits to reach the requirements of the New Zealand Certificate in Offender Management (NZCOM) Level 3.

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