Whanganui Community Corrections opened

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today officially opened the refurbished Whanganui Community Corrections site.

The $2.7 million refurbishment is part of a five-year nationwide renewal programme to make Community Corrections sites more secure and better equipped to support offenders to turn their lives around.

“If we are to reach our goal of reducing reoffending by 25 per cent by 2017, Corrections needs to create the best possible environment for offenders to make the changes in their lives that will allow them to live crime-free,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“It is also important that our staff and visitors to the centre are as safe as possible. The renovation of the Whanganui site includes new security features that create a safer working environment.”

Whanganui Community Corrections has undergone a major refit and expansion across its buildings. The new-look reception area has been fitted with an anti-climb counter and closed-circuit camera surveillance.

The facility has more space for programme delivery and training for community-based offenders aimed at rehabilitation.

The Department of Corrections employs 37 permanent staff at Whanganui Community Corrections.

The site manages more than 540 offenders on community-based sentences and orders, including home detention and community work.