A 28-year-old male prisoner is seriously ill after being allegedly stabbed multiple times inside Auckland's maximum security prison at Paremoremo.

The man was taken to hospital on Monday afternoon after the incident.

Prison director Andy Langley confirmed to Newshub the prisoner is not the 28-year-old man accused of the Christchurch mosque attacks.

"The area in which the assault took place is secured as a crime scene, and police have been informed," Langley says.

"We have a zero tolerance for violence policy, and any violence or assaults against other prisoners or staff is not tolerated in prisons.

"Any prisoner using such behaviour will be held to account for their actions, including facing criminal charges."

Corrections says it will also carry out a full investigation into the incident.

"Our staff manage some of New Zealand's most dangerous people in a complex and challenging environment," Langley says.

"Over 75 percent of the prison population have convictions for violence in their offending histories, and more than 90 percent have had a lifetime diagnosis of a mental health or substance abuse disorder.

Newshub.