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Over $300K spent on slushy syrup and maintaining machines for prison staff (www.rnz.co.nz)

submitted 6 months ago by Dave to c/politics

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Corrections has spent over $305,000 on slushy syrup and maintaining frozen ice machines in the past six years.

The news comes as proposed job cuts ravage the public service with 3460 jobs set for the chopping block, as part of the cost savings drive.

The slushy machines caused controversy in 2019 when it was revealed Corrections had spent over $1 million of taxpayer money on 193 slushy machines.

The then-National leader Simon Bridges called it "irresponsible and wasteful spending" at the time but then-Corrections minister Kelvin Davis said was about health and safety.

Since then the slushy fund has continued with 160 of the 193 original machines still in use and $305,906 spent on syrup, maintaining them.

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[–] Dave 2 points 6 months ago (2 children)

We have about 8,000 prisoners. That's 300k per year per prisoner?

Figures I've heard previously were more like $150k so I guess Corrections spends a lot outside of prisons?

[–] deadbeef79000 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Parole checks and home detention and community detention for example.

[–] Dave 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yes that makes sense. I also wonder if that budget includes funding for rehabilitation programmes.

[–] deadbeef79000 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I assume so, hence "corrections" rather than "incarceration" being the department name ;-)

[–] I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

In the US, we privatize the prisons so a corporation is incentivised against rehabilitation. Then when someone is granted parole, their family has to pay for monitoring. Isn't it great? I'll go cry in the corner.

[–] deadbeef79000 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, that's something half our ruling elite want to try because it's an opportunity for a few to make a ton of money.

Fortunately, IIRC, we closed the trial private prison.

[–] Dave 3 points 6 months ago

There seems to be one that is operated by a private company: https://www.serco.com/aspac/our-work/justice/information-for-friends-and-family/auckland-south-corrections-facility

Kohuora, Auckland South Corrections Facility opened in May 2015 and holds up to 960 sentenced male prisoners. Kohuora is operated by Serco under a 25 year agreement with the Department of Corrections.

[–] rimu@piefed.social 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I don't know an intra-departmental breakdown. That might take some digging.

In the interest.co.nz article I linked to earlier it has a figure of $1.7bn for the year 2017. Big increases in 2018 and 2020. Labour invested heavily in prisons!

[–] Dave 2 points 6 months ago

Weird because there were also huge drops in prison population under Labour! Was down from something like 10k to 7k off the top of my head.

But also that's operational costs not capital investment, so probably not so much investing in prisons and more just an increase in costs.

That's an increase of about 6% per year assuming 1.7 in 2017 and 2.4 in 2023. High but not crazy considering what's happened in that time.