CPB Contractors' design and construction of the Department of Correction’s Waikeria Prison Development is advancing steadily.
Currently, the Waikeria facility can house 460 people, though once the new section opens, capacity will increase to house an extra 600 people with state-of-the-art facilities including a high-tech gatehouse, on-site medical services and improved recreational and wellbeing areas, explains CPB Contractors General Manager for New Zealand, Paul Corbett.
“Our CPB Contractors team’s focus here has been to design and deliver a project that will keep staff, visitors and prisoners safe and secure,” adds Paul.
Waikeria’s enhanced arrival gatehouse includes advanced X-ray machines, metal detectors, and a biometric registration system. Additionally, newly installed sally port gateways feature under-body cameras and heartbeat monitors, enabling security to track the number of occupants in vehicles in real-time.
CPB Contractors’ delivery of the Waikeria Prison Expansion also introduces dedicated mental health and addiction support spaces and on-site medical facilities.
“There are now dedicated areas for a range of services that would have previously required clinic or hospital visits, including regular dialysis,” shares Paul.
CPB Contractors is delivering the design and construction of the Waikeria Prison Development Project, a major investment in New Zealand focusing on rehabilitation with fellow CIMIC company, Pacific Partnerships, as part of Cornerstone Infrastructure Partners delivering the Public Private Partnership (PPP) corrections project.
This prison is the first of its kind in New Zealand, a 600-bed high-security prison with 100 beds in a purpose-built Mental Health and Addiction Service Facility. The site is 21 hectares, includes 29 new buildings and will feature more spaces for whānau interaction than any other New Zealand prison. It will be the first in Aotearoa designed specifically to support the provision of mental health and addiction services.