A staff member at Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt was caught allegedly trying to bring contraband in.
The prison's director, Reti Pearse, said the staff member has been placed on special leave after the incident on Monday morning.
Pearse said the contraband was detected as part of the prison's normal daily operations and was not part of a wider operation.
"Our staff work in challenging environments to keep our communities safe and help people make positive changes to their lives," Pearse said.
"The overwhelming majority of our people act with integrity, honesty and professionalism and those who don't place their colleagues' safety at risk, damage trust in their profession and undermine the integrity of the prison system.
"As the matter is subject to investigation we are unable to comment further."
Police said it was notified by Corrections contraband had allegedly been located at the prison. A man was arrested and charges are currently being considered.
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