Prisoners protesting poor living conditions at one of the country's largest prisons have broken into parts of the facility with tactical equipment and created "makeshift weapons", according to the Department of Corrections.
More fires were lit today as the standoff at Waikeria Prison continues into its fourth night.
The latest development comes after attempted negotiations with local kaumātua and Māori Party MP Rawiri Waititi at the prisoners' request, Corrections says.
In a statement today, incident controller Jeanette Burns says the 16 remaining protestors had agreed to surrender if they spoke with kaumātua.
They made the same deal when it came to speaking with Waititi, she says.
"We have negotiated in good faith, and prisoners have defaulted on the commitments that they have made."
She says the men have broken into restricted areas including a room containing tactical equipment such as shields, batons and body armour.
"They have also constructed a number of makeshift weapons that we believe they are planning to use against staff, and accessed a medical dispensary where controlled drugs are stored," Burns says.
"While the group state that they are protesting conditions at the prison and not rioting, their actions are clearly violent."
She iterates there is no threat to public safety despite the violence.
"We have been approached by others who believe that they can resolve the incident, which we have declined," she says.
"This remains a highly volatile and dangerous situation, complicated by the damage to the facility and the access to weapons that the prisoners have.
"We are not prepared to compromise the safety of staff responding to the incident, and highly trained staff with specialist skills will continue to negotiate with the prisoners."
The prisoners say they're protesting inhumane living conditions at the high-security wing at the prison.
A surprise inspection by the Ombudsman earlier this year concluded the facility was no longer fit for purpose, raising issues including prisoners being double bunked in cells designed for one, there was a lack of natural light and poor ventilation, and prisoners were forced to eat near toilets.
After his visit today, Waititi urged Corrections minister Kelvin Davis to step in however the minister has declined to comment.
A spokesperson for his office told 1 NEWS today he would not be commenting until the situation was resolved, but he was being kept up to date with developments.
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