Three iwi leaders are being flown to Australia by one of the private companies vying to run the joint Mt Eden-Auckland Central Remand Prison.
Serco is the second of four shortlisted companies to host the group in Australia, to observe its prisons in operation.
Ngati Whatua chair Naida Glavish will join Sonny Tau from Nga Puhi and Tukoroirangi Morgan from Waikato-Tainui on the trip on Tuesday.
Naida Glavish says they will speak with indigenous inmates at two prisons in Perth to gauge how Serco copes with cultural needs.
She says the companies have been told by Te Puni Kokiri that it is in their best interests to consult with Maori about prison privatisation.
