The top jail at Waikeria prison was completely destroyed in the five day riots. Video / Brett Phibbs / Mark Coote
The Department of Corrections says disruption caused by the Waikeria prison riots nearly three years ago will continue for at least two more years as the rebuild goes on.
Regional commissioner Terry Buffery’s comments were outlined during the sentencing of another rioter in the High Court at Hamilton yesterday.
Matangairau Cuff was one of the key instigators of the $50 million disaster that stretched six days.
Buffery told the court through a victim impact statement that staff were forced to work up to 72 hours straight as they battled flames and smoke to frantically free prisoners trapped in their cells.
Hundreds of prisoners lost personal property including photos, identification, and letters.
The kitchen and laundry were destroyed so meals and clothing were sorted at Spring Hill prison, requiring a four-hour daily round trip.
Two hundred displaced prisoners would continue to experience long travel times on their way to and from court for another two years while the new jail was being constructed, he said.
Around $50 million in damage was caused during the riot. Photo / File
Cuff was the first of the 17 accused to plead guilty after accepting a sentence indication in October last year to three representative charges of being a member of a riot unlawfully damaging property, arson, and assaulting various people with various objects as weapons.
Then aged 22, he was a key player in the disorder and the first to escape the yard and break out onto the roof and liberate other prisoners.
His lawyer Jong Kim told Justice Woolford that Cuff had made great progress at the Grace Foundation, completing multiple courses until his bail was revoked after admitting the charges.
That showed he was motivated to change and put the gang life behind him, Kim said.
Cuff briefly spoke to the court, stating that whatever happened he would remain positive for himself and his family.
“I know what I done [sic] was wrong. I could have done it in a better way, legally, and I’m sorry for what I have done.
“I’m only upwards from here.”
Justice Woolford responded by telling his whānau, seated in the public gallery, that Cuff had a “bright future and so we have to try and ensure that becomes a reality”.
His cultural report revealed he’d had a dysfunctional relationship with his father, and then at 15 he left school and began hanging around youth gangs in Tokoroa with his other brothers.
He had been smoking cannabis while young before moving to meth at 14.
He has since been clean and sober for five years and was a father to two sons, aged 5 and 6, and they were his impetus to lead a more positive lifestyle and rid himself of gangs.
Justice Woolford jailed Cuff for five years and eight months. However, he is now eligible for parole due to time already spent in custody.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for eight years and has been a journalist for 19.
