Challenge and context
Waikeria Prison Development is a large scale public private partnership delivered for the Department of Corrections – Ara Poutama Aotearoa, providing a new 596 bed corrections precinct in Waikato, New Zealand. The 21-hectare development includes 28 buildings within a 1.7 kilometre secure perimeter, combining 500 high security beds with a dedicated 96 bed mental health and addiction treatment facility. The core vision was a safe and secure environment for staff and prisoners, with a focus on rehabilitation, wellness and cultural responsivity.
The project sought to establish a more contemporary model for corrections infrastructure, balancing operational security with rehabilitation, healthcare and cultural responsiveness. MODE’s design approach focused on human scale planning with clear sightlines and calm spaces that draw on lessons from community, health and education environments, in parallel with traditional prison planning.
Engineering response and solutions
Robert Bird Group provided structural and civil engineering services across the precinct, supporting the design and delivery of more than 30 buildings and associated infrastructure.
The facility was a designed for post disaster performance appropriate to critical public infrastructure, including resilience to a 1 in 2,500 year seismic event and liquefiable ground conditions. The project was delivered using BIM360 for multidisciplinary coordination, enabling close integration between architectural, structural, civil, building services and specialist security requirements.
The scale of the precinct, combined with strict security requirements, complex geology, seismic resilience targets and remote site logistics, created a highly challenging delivery environment requiring close coordination across architecture, engineering, security integration and construction disciplines.
A key delivery innovation was the use of prefabricated precast concrete accommodation modules, manufactured off site and assembled into multi-level residential blocks. This modular approach improved quality control and construction efficiency while reducing exposure to labour constraints and programme risk within a remote, security critical environment.
Structural detailing responded directly to custodial operational requirements. Opportunities for concealment of contraband and tampering within joints and interfaces were carefully managed through coordinated placement of precast connections and finishes within lower risk locations.
Robert Bird Group worked closely with geotechnical and construction teams to assess multiple piling and foundation solutions across the former wetland site. Civil works included more than 400,000m³ of earthworks, extensive stormwater and groundwater management, over 4 kilometres of access roads, sewer reticulation, pumping infrastructure and potable water networks. Earthworks, cut and fill balances and stormwater infrastructure were digitally modelled to optimise construction sequencing and minimise long term hydrological impacts.
Impact
The completed development establishes a new benchmark for corrections infrastructure in Aotearoa New Zealand, integrating secure custodial accommodation with dedicated healthcare and rehabilitation facilities. The precinct supports safer operational outcomes for staff while improving access to structured rehabilitation programmes for prisoners.
Long life performance and maintainability were embedded throughout the engineering response. Cultural outcomes were also integrated through engagement with mana whenua, including the delivery of a whare near the gatehouse to support appropriate whānau and community engagement.
Following completion of Stage 1 in 2025, the wider precinct masterplan continues to evolve, with Stage 2 commencing soon after.