At 4.30pm, a torrent of water was seen spraying from the roof. It appears bits of corrugated iron had been ripped from the roof along with some insulation.
A cherry picker has also been transported to the facility.
More than nine hours after first responding, police said the standoff was “still ongoing”.
OT deputy chief executive of youth justice services and residential care, Dean Winter, said staff continue to “actively engage” with the young people on the roof.
Young people are seen on the roof of the Korowai Manaaki youth justice residence. Photo / Corey Fleming
“We notified police shortly after 11am that several young people had gained access to the roof within the youth justice residence,” Winter said in a statement.
“We are working with police to resolve this matter and to bring the young people down in a safe manner.
“There are no concerns for public safety, and the young people are well within the confines of the facility.
“There has been some damage to the residence during this incident, but the day-to-day operational running of the residence has continued.
“We will not be providing further updates overnight.”
In July 2023, several young people refused to come down off the same roof until a number of demands were met by OT.
OT deputy chief executive Tusha Penny told the AM Show at the time the situation had been resolved when food was brought in for the group.
“We did give them takeaways. So they got KFC and McDonald’s to come down. But like I said, we got them down safely after that period of time,” she said.
The group had remained on the roof for 30 hours in a tense standoff with authorities.
