Daniel John Taylor, who had pleaded guilty, faced a maximum penalty of seven years in prison for meeting a young person with indecent intent and six counts of doing an indecent act on a young person.
But he was sentenced to 10 months' home detention and six months' special post-detention conditions.
Nationally, more than 40,000 offenders are serving community-based sentences, 1700 on home detention.
Home detention was introduced in November, 2007. Corrections describes it as the second most restrictive sentence available to the courts after imprisonment. It is also comparatively cheaper. The daily cost of administering a home-detention sentence is $58, compared with $249 for imprisonment.
Corrections assistant general manager Maria McDonald said home detention was intended for offenders who would otherwise have received short jail sentences of two years or less.
This type of sentence requires an offender to remain at an approved residence at all times under electronic monitoring.
The maximum home-detention sentence is 12 months, the minimum is 14 days.
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Peter Bentley said home detention should be regarded as a privilege.
"A lot of these people that are on home detention are not deserving of any breaks. They've committed a crime for which a custodial sentence is warranted.
"They should be put in a place where they can reflect on their misdeed."
By letting offenders serve out their sentence in their home, the justice system was putting the offender in the same situation as when they committed the offence.
While home detention might be warranted for "very low-level, minor crime", it was not an appropriate sentence for crimes of a violent or sexual nature, Mr Bentley said.
If home detention conditions are not met, offenders can be fined up to $2000, jailed for a year, or given another community-based sentence.
Ms McDonald said home detention had one of the lowest reconviction rates of all community sentences and orders.
"A significant proportion of reconvictions that do occur are for a breach of the sentence as opposed to any other criminal act."
Corrections declined to reveal the number of ankle bracelets currently active, or how many had been damaged or broken in the past five years, citing commercial sensitivity. APNZ
Home detention - by the numbers
91 offenders on home detention in Wairarapa/Manawatu district (as at October 31)
Costs $58 per day, $10,486 annually per offender
1700 offenders on home detention nationwide
21.2 per cent reconviction rate
40,000 offenders on community-based sentences nationwide
Source: Corrections
