A prison worker dismissed after a staff barbecue stocked with premium steaks from the kitchen lost his bid to get his job back.
The worker had been with the New Zealand Department of Corrections since January 2005, spending his last 15 years as principal instructor for catering and laundry at the Northland Regional Corrections Facility.
In October 2024, the worker and colleagues discussed holding a barbecue at his home for their team. Under the Department’s Sensitive Expenditure Policy, it could contribute up to $25 per person for food at one annual celebration - but only with prior approval from a deputy commissioner. Anything over $200 needed sign-off well above facility level. Nobody on-site could approve it.
A team member invited 24 colleagues and placed the food order online. The worker approved the purchase. It included a significant quantity of high-quality and expensive steak - pushing past the $25-per-head limit.
CCTV footage captured the worker carrying items from the prison kitchen, helping transfer them to a vehicle and driving a goods trolley back inside. The barbecue went ahead the next day at his home.
The Department investigated three allegations: that the worker arranged for food to be taken for a private event, authorised the removal without approval, and gave misleading information about whether approval existed. All three were substantiated. The team member received a...
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