Prisoners charged after getting drunk on hand sanitiser at Waikeria Prison

Inmates at one of the country's largest prisons used hand sanitiser to enjoy a drink over the New Year period. Photo / NZME

Inmates at one of the country's largest prisons found an inventive way of marking the New Year period - boozing on hand sanitiser.

Newstalk ZB can reveal almost a dozen prisoners were charged with misconduct after allegedly getting drunk at Waikeria Prison this year.

National and the Corrections Association are unimpressed - saying it's "shocking" and symptomatic of a "failing system".

But Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis wasn't told about it at the time and has refused to be interviewed.

In a written statement, he maintained it was an "operational matter that was resolved by Corrections".

On Sunday, January 2, staff observed 10 men sharing drinks before the unit was due to lock up for the day.

Acting prison director Rosemary Firth said officers quickly realised all was not well.

"They identified that the men were under the influence of a substance, suspected to have been hand sanitiser," she said.

"Staff immediately confiscated the drinks and returned the prisoners to their cells without further issue."

"Staff were reminded of the importance to safely store hand sanitiser to ensure it remains secure."

The booze-up has drawn the ire of the Corrections Association, who says officers can't be blamed.

"It's not looked at from the perspective of why did this go wrong. It looks at who made a mistake," said president Floyd du-Plessis.

"When you're under pressure, when you're having to do the work of six people, it's a result of mismanagement."

Davis' statement said prisoners can present "challenging behaviours".

"It was dealt with promptly and appropriately by Corrections, and the people involved faced consequences," he said.

"I have been advised the unit involved was fully staffed at the time."

National's Corrections spokesman Simon O'Connor said it was "disingenuous" to cite staffing of the unit.

'Whether or not the unit on that particular day, at that particular time, was fully staffed doesn't reflect the wider situation within Corrections," he said.

'They're stretched. They're understaffed. They've been asked to do too much and [they're] struggling to get cover when needed."

He said Davis should have been given a heads-up on what happened, and front interviews on the issue.

"Where's Kelvin? He seems conspicuously absent whenever there are proper and challenging questions about his handling of the Corrections portfolio."

A Corrections spokesperson told ZB no extra cost was incurred, and details didn't need to be elevated to the Beehive.

"Our frontline staff routinely manage a wide range of operational incidents across our 17 prisons nationwide.

"It is therefore not necessary or appropriate for the minister to be advised of every operational situation that occurs in the day-to-day prison environment."