The spokeswoman would not say which prison Wilson had been recalled to. She said the department did not usually confirm where prisoners were held.
Wilson will remain in prison until his next hearing before the Parole Board, to be held before the end of March.
Wilson was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 1996 for sex and violence offences against women and girls, as well as charges of stupefying and bestiality.
He served 18 years of a 21-year sentence before he was released on parole on August 29 last year, first to a self-care unit on Wanganui Prison grounds and later to a nearby two-bedroom weatherboard house which was moved onto the site.
He had 17 special conditions imposed on him.
His release was met with legal challenges, with his lawyer fighting the restrictive conditions and Wanganui District Council appealing the decision to release him to the area.
Debate over his release was heated, with councillors toying with the idea of issuing trespass notices to prevent him from entering public places.
Wilson appealed his release conditions before the Parole Board in December, seeking permission to drive a vehicle by himself and the freedom to attend events like concerts and church services.
He also questioned why he had to pay weekly rent and power costs of $100.
The board last month turned down his requests, and said paying rent was part of his integration to society.
In November, three months after his release on parole, Wilson told the Wanganui Chronicle how he was "bored out of my tree'' and spent up to 20 hours a day alone.
He was visited by probation officers every weekday but said he was lonely and had not had many visitors.
Wilson was barred from visiting his wife and children, and was permitted to see his mother in the South Island for only two hours on a day trip.
He had gone on fishing trips and bush walks and spent some of his time gardening, which "passes the time''.
Wilson continues to deny the charges for which he was found guilty.
