15 Mar 2018

Sex offenders moved after community outcry

8:21 pm on 15 March 2018

Corrections have moved 11 convicted sex offenders living near schools in South Auckland after an outcry from the local community.

Otahuhu school zone

Otahuhu school zone Photo: RNZ/ Laura Tupou

Last week Corrections apologised to two schools that were not told about the sex offenders, who had been living less than a kilometre away for at least two years.

Northern regional commissioner Jeanette Burns said in response to concerns raised by the Ōtāhuhu community, Corrections had relocated all 11 of the offenders out of the area in the past 48 hours.

Six offenders have been moved to accommodation on prison land.

Corrections had been talking to schools and early childhood centres in the past week to provide them with assurances over how closely the offenders were managed, she said.

About 15,000 people were freed from prison every year and finding accommodation for convicted child sex offenders was one of the biggest challenges Corrections faced, Ms Burns said.