Corrections said the prisoner was on remand at Spring Hill Corrections Facility and escaped while on a visit to Waikato Hospital. Details on the nature of the visit were not released due to privacy.
Springhill general manager Scott Walker said the prisoner was handcuffed and wearing a GPS monitor when he escaped.
A police search began immediately.
Public safety was the prison’s top priority and any escape was unacceptable, Walker said.
An immediate review of how the incident occurred would be carried out.
A Corrections spokesperson would not say how many staff were escorting the prisoner when he escaped, but said none were injured.
A Health NZ spokesperson would not say whether any hospital staff or patients were injured or threatened.
Police said anyone who had seen anything suspicious should call 111.
They would not say whether the prisoner was considered dangerous and said the man’s name and photograph would only be released if police planned an appeal for sightings.
The police Eagle Helicopter was not involved in the search.
It is the second time in a montha prisoner has escaped from Waikato Hospital.
In the first incident in November, a prisoner escaped after allegedly assaulting two Corrections officers and carjacking a vehicle. He was later arrested.
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