Prisoners in Northland have set fire to rubbish in their cells during a protest against the prison being put in lockdown because of a guard shortage.
A riot squad was sent from Auckland to the Northland Region Corrections Facility at Ngawha this afternoon.
But the acting manager of prisons, Jeanette Burns, says the unrest was controlled within 30 minutes, being resolved at about 3pm.
The prisoners started a fire and caused damage to a number of cells after they were subjected to a lockdown as a result of the shortage of prison officers.
The group of 20 prisoners lit small rubbish fires that were quickly extinguished by staff.
Police say they were notified of the protest but did not become involved.
The group of prisoners who caused the incident has been broken up, and Ms Burns says some will be moved to other prisons. It is likely the prisoners will face disciplinary action and possibly criminal charges.
The prison, 6km east of Kaikohe, opened in 2005 and houses up to 366 inmates with security classifications ranging from low to high-medium and it employs 180 staff.
It is the second time in a month prisoners have caused problems at the low to medium security facility.
3 News/NZN