Department of Corrections (New Zealand)

Department of Corrections
Ara Poutama Aotearoa
Department overview
Formed1995 (1995)
Preceding Department
  • Department of Justice
JurisdictionNew Zealand
HeadquartersMayfair House,
44–52 The Terrace,
Wellington 6011
Employees10000+ FTE staff
(30 June 2020)
Annual budgetTotal budget for 2023/24
$2,565,051
Minister responsible
Department executive
  • Jeremy Lightfoot,
    Chief Executive
Websitewww.corrections.govt.nz

The Department of Corrections (Māori: Ara Poutama Aotearoa) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with managing the New Zealand corrections system. This includes the operations of the 18 prisons in New Zealand and services run by Probation. Corrections' role and functions were defined and clarified with the passing of the Corrections Act 2004. This includes the provision of rehabilitation programmes and the reintegration of prisoners back into the community. In 2024, Corrections had about 10,000 staff responsible for managing around 10,000 prison inmates and 30,000 offenders in the community.