A fresh batch of new recruits graduated as Corrections officers on Friday, hoping to bolster the ranks in New Zealand's prisons, which are dealing with staff shortages.
It comes as the department embarked on a near $4 million marketing campaign last year seeking new officers.
Ads calling for applicants have been playing across TV, online, social media, billboards, bus stops and on street posters.
The "What do you do" ads feature people in everyday circumstances, talking about the importance of being a Corrections officer.
It seems to be paying off, with thousands of applicants putting their hands up.
Numbers obtained by 1News through the Official Information Act show the Department of Corrections has received 3100 applications since October 2022.
Corrections told 1News that the campaign had been part of a "concerted effort" to recruit new officers while they face staffing challenges post-Covid.
"As has been widely reported, Corrections has been facing staffing challenges across many of our prisons, and this has impacted our ability to fully resume access to programmes and in-person visits and provide longer unlock hours at some sites," a spokesperson said.
"As a result, we are making a concerted effort to recruit, retain and train staff.
"This includes our advertising campaign, which is focused on actively recruiting new Corrections officers across the country."
Corrections' national commissioner Leigh Marsh told 1News the new recruits would allow its regular programmes to happen again, making life better for officers and prisoners.
"The staffing is really dynamic; it's based on the number of prisoners we've got and the sort of activities that we're doing.
"We did really well during Covid at keeping it out, but it did mean restricting some of those activities we normally do in a prison.
"We're looking at starting those back up as soon as possible, but we can only do it under the right conditions when we have the proper number of staff."
Currently, Corrections is processing 800 applications for roles within the prison system; it said 250 of those are in the final stages.
Since the beginning of 2023, 116 people have begun working in front line roles, and in the last six months, 61 people have been appointed roles as Corrections officers.
While the number seems small, Corrections have attributed this to their rigorous tests for mental and physical health, as well as fitness and background checks.
"Due to the high level of integrity expected of staff working in prisons, thorough pre-employment checks must also be carried out.
"These include police vetting, drug testing, a physical fitness test and medical check, and a reference check prior to employment."
It also takes around 77 days for someone submitting an application to be appointed to a role and then 12 to 14 months of training.
Marsh said the campaign "hit the right note" and is helping to bolster Corrections' ranks.
"We've had literally thousands of people applying for our jobs here at Corrections, especially in the custodial space.
"I've been to four graduations this side of Christmas, and there have been well over 200, 300 recruits that have landed on the floor since then.
"It makes a huge difference getting our staffing numbers up."
It's gotten to a point where extra staff are being brought on to train all the new recruits.
"It's absolutely fantastic," Marsh said.
Campaign a 'failure' - CANZ
Corrections Association (CANZ) president Floyd du Plessis called the campaign a "failure", saying that while it's bringing attention to the industry not enough new officers are being sent out to prisons.
"That is on the premise that, as they've stated, they're averaging 60 per month or per five-week period. Unfortunately, that's no increase on what we used to [have]," he said.
"We're in a staffing shortage at the moment, so there does need to be a ramp-up of recruits; what we've seen so far is an increase in interest but not an increase in staff starting on the floor.
"If we're gonna stick to 60 a month, that's not high enough; we're losing somewhere around that on average, so we need to see more than 60 a month."
He also suggested the ads fail to show the reality of the job, only focusing on the positives, not the negatives — like frequent threats of assault from inmates.
"We've got staff starting, and what they believe is they've come in to change lives, and they believe they've come into work where they're going to work with individuals and change their future.
"Now, while it happens on a very limited basis, the majority of our work is on the front line; it's facing a sect of the community that isn't able to be in public and is there with us for a reason.
"Unfortunately, what that means is heightened violence and threats that we face on a daily basis."
Evidence du Plessis has seen suggests the number of violent threats against Corrections officers has "ramped up" over the years.
He called it a "reality that isn't shared enough".
For him, it's about preparing new recruits for the job because a lot of employees leave after a short period.
The main problem in the eye of CANZ is staff retention — keeping officers — which du Plessis says isn't being focused on.
He said experienced staff are leaving, which makes it difficult to train new ones.
"We've got evidence at the moment of new staff training new staff in volatile areas and units, and that doesn't work.
"That's where the department and Government are losing focus."
He's calling on the department and the Government to start recognising their staff’s situation, as well as offering better training.
But the most important thing for officers on the ground is pay, du Plessis said.
"We're underpaid for what we face," he said.
The current starting salary for a Corrections officer is $59,519.
Corrections officers are currently on the visa fast-track green list, but du Plessis said it wouldn't solve their issues.
"Instead of working in changing that and increasing the wage to where it needs to be, they've just added us to the green list, so it just means they're gonna import more unskilled labour."
When stacked up against higher-paying industries, du Plessis believes overseas workers will give Corrections a pass.
"It just won't work," he said.
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