Primary sector
Corrections operates
- two dairy farms
- three dry stock farms
- one piggery
- two sheep farms
- six nurseries.
Agriculture and horticulture (farming and commercial plant nurseries) fall under the primary sector category and provide employment training for over 400 prisoners.
Prison farms
Waikeria Prison dairy farm
- produces approximately 1 million kilograms of milk solids a year
- covers 1,000 hectares of land
- has a herd of 3,200 cows.
Otago Corrections Facility dairy farm
- produces approximately 130,000 kilograms of milk solids a year
- covers 130 hectares of land
- has a herd of 370 cows
- won the 2012 Ballance Environment Award for the dairy section. This award recognises excellence in promoting sustainable land management on New Zealand farms.
Dry stock farms
- located at Hawke’s Bay, Spring Hill and Tongariro/Rangipo prisons
- cover 330 hectares of land
- are used to raise calves and heifers from main farms.
Christchurch Men’s Prison piggery
- fattens between 16,000 and 17,000 pigs a year
- maintains approximately 800 sows for breeding
- is one of seven SPCA accredited free farm practices in the country – this is where sows are outside and growing pigs are housed in eco barns
- won awards at the 2007 Freshpork Carcass competition
- two of the instructors working have won the prestigious Pork Industry Herd Manager of the Year Award.
Christchurch Men’s Prison sheep farm
- covers 700 hectares of land
- has a maximum of 5,000 sheep.
Tongariro/Rangipo Prison sheep farm
- covers 2,500 hectares of land
- has 10,000 sheep.
Prison nurseries
They primarily supply local and regional councils and major replanting projects – 99 percent of their plants are from a native eco-source.
They also give prisoners the opportunity to complete a NZQA qualification in horticulture.
Where are products from these industries sold?
- Milk is sold to Fonterra
- Fattened pigs are sold to Freshpork
- Wool and meat is sold through Affco and PPCS
- Plants can be bought directly from the nurseries in large quantities and are commonly sold to local councils.