Auckland South Corrections Facility (Kohuora)

How can I find out if a prisoner is in Kohuora?

We are unable to confirm if any individual is held in Kohuora. In accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, the written consent of a prisoner is required before their personal information and location can be released to any requestor. You will either be told by the prisoner where he is held or you can call the Department of Corrections on 04 460 3000. The Department will then submit a request to the prisoner if they are in custody.

How do I stay in touch with someone at Kohuora?

It’s important for prisoners to stay in touch with family and friends. There are many ways prisoners can do this, through arranging visits, calling friends and family, writing letters and receiving emails.  

Each prisoner has a unique PRN number. Please take note of this number, as it will speed up correspondence and deposits into his trust account. Only the prisoner can tell you his PRN number.

It is the prisoner’s responsibility to arrange to have your phone number approved. We will check that you are happy to receive calls from the prison, and your number will then be added to the prisoner’s list of approved numbers to call.

Prisoners must pay for the calls they make. The cost of calls is:

You can also email prisoners in Kohuora. The address is [email protected] and include the PRN in the subject line. Prisoners do not have access to email, but we will print your emails and give them to the prisoner. Emails should not be more than two pages long. We will not print attachments.

There is no limit to the number of letters you can write to prisoners. Please clearly address the envelope with the prisoner’s full name and our postal address, which you will find at the top of this page.  We search all the mail we receive for contraband, inappropriate photos or gang content. You may send photos to prisoners, but any inappropriate photos will be returned.

General visit information

We know how important visits are to you and to prisoners. At Kohuora, we uphold the value of Manaakitanga. This means that we will treat you respectfully and courteously at all times. Our staff are here to help you, so please feel free to ask for assistance.

Visits take place Wednesday to Sunday. Each prisoner has one visit a week. Visit booking requests are made by the prisoner, not the visitor.

Everyone over the age of 16 must apply to become an approved visitor. Application forms can be picked up from the Visitor Centre or sent to you by a prisoner. The application process takes up to 10 business days to complete. You must make a new application for each prisoner you wish to visit.

Once you are confirmed as an approved visitor, the prisoner you want to visit will book your visits and tell you the time and day of your visit.

You can bring children with you, but every person over 16 must be an approved visitor confirmed to attend each specific visit.

There is free car parking at Kohuora.

For further queries about visits, please email: [email protected]

To book a legal visit please email: [email protected]

What to expect on your visit

The first time you visit Kohuora, you must register at the Visitor Centre. This is to enable staff to enrol you on our computer system, called CMS. Please arrive at least 45 minutes before your first scheduled visit to allow sufficient time for enrolment. To enrol you into CMS, we will check that you have been approved to visit the prisoner, scan your finger print and take your photo.

Our staff must sight your current photo ID and ensure your details are correct. The following options are accepted:

Once you have been enrolled into CMS, you will be able to visit the prison without providing proof of identity on each visit.

Bringing possessions into prison

You may not bring personal possessions into the prison. Please leave these locked in your car or in a locker at the Visitor Centre. Note, locker space is very limited.

Our prison is completely smoke-free. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in Kohuora and cigarettes or other tobacco products cannot be brought into the prison.

If you need to bring medication with you, please include this information in your Visitor Application Form. Approval to bring in the medication must be obtained prior to your visit.

You may bring baby bottles with formula or milk only, not juice. As we provide nappies and wipes, you will not be permitted to bring these into the visits area. We also have a small range of books and toys for children to use in the visits area so no toys may be brought in. There is a baby changing room, which includes an area for breast feeding your baby, if required. There is no prisoner access to this area. The visits area has an external yard for children to play in, weather permitting.

Keeping everyone safe

It is important that Kohuora is a safe and secure environment for everyone who comes here. Outside the prison are signs reminding you not to bring in prohibited items, like drugs, alcohol and weapons. The car you arrive in may be searched and you will enter Kohuora through airport-like security. You may also be searched with a scanner. Drug detector dogs may be present during your visit.  

Our CCTV system is operating at all times.

Visitors are asked to wear reasonable and appropriate clothing. Gang clothing and gang regalia are not permitted in the prison.

During the visit

The visits area is a family environment and children will be present. If there is inappropriate behaviour or language, your visit may be stopped. If there is any attempt to pass items to a prisoner or receive items from them, you may lose the right to visit and you may be arrested.

All prisoners are expected to remain in their allocated seats throughout the visit. Staff will be present in the room throughout visiting times.

Most visits are contact visits: you will be seated with the person you are visiting. Some visits will be non-contact or booth visits: you will sit in a cubicle and there will be a window between the two of you. You will not be able to touch each other, but you can clearly hear and talk to each other.

After the visit

You and your children will be escorted out of the prison. Please remember to collect any belongings you left in the Visitor Centre lockers and return the key to staff.

Compassionate escort

In some circumstances, prisoners may be granted a compassionate escort, for example, where there is serious illness or to attend a funeral of a close family member. It is important to allow as much time as possible to arrange a compassionate escort.

The visit may be granted if escorting officers accompany the prisoner. The family or the prisoner must agree to meet the cost of the escorting officers. The actual cost is assessed in each individual case.

A compassionate release application form must be filled out by the prisoner.

Special family extended visit

A special family/whānau visit is a visit arranged under exceptional circumstances, where the visit could not reasonably be expected to meet standard visiting conditions. These visits must be approved by the Deputy Director or Assistant Director Custodial. Examples where a special visit may be granted include:

• To help prisoners make necessary arrangements for unresolved private matters, where it has not been possible to do so prior to their reception into custody, for example, issues with Child Youth and Family (CYF)
• When a family member is seriously ill or if a prisoner has not been granted permission to attend a tangi or funeral of a close family member
• For a prisoner who is seriously ill.

How do I deposit money into a prisoner's trust account?

Each man has access to a trust account to purchase small items from the canteen and pay for phone calls to approved phone numbers. The maximum amount allowed in their account is $200. The maximum a prisoner can spend each week is $70.

Prisoners can earn money by working in a variety of jobs in prison. Whānau, family and friends can also deposit money into the prisoner’s trust account. When you make a deposit, please include the following information in the fields available to be seen by the payee – ASCF

• Prisoner PRN number. The prisoner will tell you what his PRN is. This is the most important information to include on the form. Without this number, there may be a delay in transferring the funds to the prisoner’s account.
• Prisoner’s surname
• Prisoner’s first name
• Prisoner’s middle name or alias.

How you can make deposits:

• Internet banking. Account number 01 1839 0222164 04
• Deposit money at the Visitor Centre, Eftpos only. We do not accept cash.
• Visit any ANZ branch. Account number 01 1839 0222164 04
• For payments made overseas by direct credit, please use SWIFT code ANZBNZ22. Please note overseas deposits may incur additional bank fees. You will also need to provide the following information:
  • Account number 01 1839 0222164 04
  • Account Name Serco New Zealand Ltd ATF-ASCF Prisoner Trust.

Payments are processed daily, so if you have included the PRN number, the prisoner can expect to have the funds in his account within two business days.

When a prisoner moves from ASCF to another prison, any funds available in his account will be transferred to the facility’s Trust account.

When a prisoner is released, any funds remaining in his account will be refunded to him.

For further queries about prisoner accounts, please email: [email protected].

Prisoner clothing is provided by Kohuora. All property brought into the prison, including reading material, must have an authorised property approval form. This is completed by the prisoner, authorised by Property staff and will then be posted to the friend or family member who will arrange to bring the items to Kohuora. Please bring the property authorisation form with you.

You can either mail the items to Kohuora (21 Kiwi Tamaki Road, Wiri, Auckland 2104) or bring them to the Kohuora Visitor Centre at the following times:

Monday:    9.30am to 12.00 pm
                12.30pm to 3.30 pm

Tuesday:   9.30am to 12.00 pm
                12.30pm to 3.30 pm

Gang patches and gang regalia are prohibited.

ASCF holds 960 sentenced prisoners. We are committed to providing purposeful engagement opportunities for all men within our facility. We focus on eight key pathways that are designed to meet the needs of each individual. We believe that by supporting the men in these eight areas, we can help them to reduce their likelihood of reoffending.