Does the 24% increase of incarcerated women between September 2024 - September 2025 align with the Department of Corrections obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its stated commitments to reduce Māori incarceration?

Answer

Corrections manages people at the direction of the courts and the New Zealand Parole Board and does not determine who is in prison. However, I am advised that Corrections are committed to their obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and to reducing the over representation of Māori in prison, as is consistent with the intent of their organisational strategy, Hōkai Rangi. I am advised that Corrections is also improving access to rehabilitation for women on remand, ensuring more consistent support through the justice process, and implementing an integrated women’s prison network to support this. These efforts aim to reduce reoffending, improve wellbeing, and reduce the number of women, particularly Māori women, returning to prison.