31450 (2025). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Corrections

31450 (2025). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Corrections: What is the current capacity of Christchurch Men's Prison and what is its current muster?

Hon Mark Mitchell: Corrections manages people at the direction of the courts and the New Zealand Parole Board, and does not determine who is in prison and who is in the community. I am advised that prison populations fluctuate daily due to arrests, releases, prisoner movements and court decisions. I am further advised that the operating capacity of a prison is not static and is based on a number of factors. This is made more complex by the need to manage unlocked groups of prisoners separately from each other. I am further advised that on 19 June 2025, Christchurch Men’s Prison had a maximum capacity of 964, with an operating capacity of 946 and a total prison population of 883. I am further advised that on 19 June 2025, Invercargill Prison had a maximum capacity of 191, with an operating capacity of 191 and a total prison population of 170. This is also my response to WPQ 13452 (2025).