Department of Corrections staff were advised to be vigilant about escalated tension after controversial comments by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki threatened revolts in prisons.

In April, a war of words broke out between Tamaki and Government Ministers, including Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis and Finance Minister Grant Robertson.

Tamaki said he wanted Government funding to introduce his Man Up programme into prisons, but Davis stated Tamaki had failed to follow proper application procedures.

Davis was also unsure of the authenticity of claims by Tamaki about the success of the programme, which claims to help men with a record of violent offending and addiction by rehabilitating them to re-enter society after prison.

Among several tweets Tamaki posted about the funding not going ahead, he wrote that "we will plan thru Private Visits to inmates in every Prison to bring ManUp in nd cause inmate revolts in evey prison (sic)".