Leanne Colvin, Corrections’ offender recruitment consultant in Whangarei, employers Gary and Mel Pepperell with Karl Bethell, Corrections’ principal advisor on education development.

Last week the Corrections offender employment programme officially celebrated the placement of its 1000th ex-offender employee.

The milestone employee, hired by Whangarei's Action Fencing is the second ex-offender to be employed by the company - the first one was taken on a year ago.

At a ceremony held at Whangarei Community Corrections centre on May 18 Corrections Northern regional commissioner Jeanette Burns, said, "we are delighted to recognise the success of our offender employment programme, which is aimed at the positive reintegration of released prisoners and community-based offenders.

Mel Pepperell, managing director of Action Fencing in Whangarei, cuts the celebratory cake.

"Having stable employment gives an offender the ability to support themselves and their family, but more importantly, they are then less likely to re-offend, which in turn helps to keep our communities safe."

Burns also acknowledged the partnership with Action Fencing's managing director Mel Pepperell and director and fencing manager Gary Pepperell.

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Mel Pepperell said "we are positive and open-minded enough to work with Corrections to expand our workforce".

"We select employees carefully and work together with the department to provide ongoing support and training to those people in our community who just need to be given an opportunity to move on positively with their lives."

Corrections has invested $2.5 million since 2016 on a two-year 'This Way to Work' pilot.

Nationwide offender recruitment consultants work with offenders, either just out of prison or serving sentences in the community, matching them with employers willing to give them stable employment.

Since the start of this pilot until the end of April this year, Corrections has placed a total of 1157 ex-offenders into work nationally.