The prison handed over 50 bikes, complete with safety helmets, to Oranga Tamariki in a ceremony on May 10.

There's a saying in this bike workshop that if you can fix a bike, then you might be able to fix your life too.

More than 400 bikes have been given away to charity through Auckland Prison's bike recycling work programme in Paremoremo. However, this is the first time they've been given away with helmets.

A special ceremony was held to highlight inmate's work on 50 completed bikes, gifted with safety helmets, to children through Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Children, on April 10.

Amy Baker Auckland Prison director Andy Langley, Department of Corrections northern regional commissioner Jeanette Burns, Oranga Tamariki site manager Pamure Maria Tetini-Luatutu with AMI external communications manager Glyn Jones officially hand over the bikes.

The helmets were donated to the programme by AMI Insurance.

READ MORE:

* 50 years behind bars: New Zealand's longest-serving prison worker looks back

* New Zealand Flower and Garden Show to feature garden by Auckland Prison inmates

Auckland Prison director Andy Langley said the workshop was a place for skill building and enabling prisoners to give back to the community.

"I think that's where they get the real buzz from it - knowing that what you're doing is contributing to making kids happy and giving something back to society."

Alongside technical know-how, it taught 'soft skills' as well, such as working as part of a team, he said.

Industry instructor Nick Bosworth, who runs the workshop, said at last count the unit had donated 427 bikes to charities, such as Women's Refuge, Oranga Tamariki and North Shore's Wilson Home.

Amy Baker Auckland Prison director Andy Langley said 'soft skills' such as team work were also part of the learning.

The Paremoremo community also helps the programme by dropping in bikes for upcycling.

Bosworth said a lot of the bikes were in a "pretty rough" state when they arrived, requiring a total refurbishment.

Parts needing replacing tended to be recycled off other bikes, he said. All bikes had to go through a compliance test before they were deemed road worthy.

Amy Baker It's the first time helmets have been given away with the bikes.

He said prisoners were able to share skills - one was a qualified mechanic and had passed on his knowledge to other members of the unit. They also gain qualifications in operating machinery, and many leave with their forklift licence, Bosworth said.

One prisoner said he'd learnt how to restore bikes "from scratch" in three months, through skill-sharing.

"Overall, very therapeutic, and a sense of giving back - to children, to the community - showing them what we do and that we're actually finding something to do to help our lives change."

Amy Baker Industry instructor Nick Bosworth said a saying at the workshop is, 'If you can fix a bike, you can fix [your life].'

During the welcome, one prisoner said the project gave inmates a sense of direction and purpose.

"For me that's a big issue in a lot of inmates that I've met, being able to do stuff they can feel proud about."

Auckland Prison also runs two other recycling programmes - one for e-waste and the other dealing with the prison's rubbish.

Bosworth said the rubbish recycling programme had led to a decrease of two 10-litre skip bins a day to just one per week.