Slushies for prison guards not a luxury - union

The union representing prison officers says it's rich of the National Party to criticise the use of slushie machines when it introduced giving ice blocks and bottled water to prisoners in hot weather, but provided nothing for staff. Corrections spent just over a million dollars on 193 ice-slushie machines for its staff in prisons to help them combat the heat over summer. National's leader, Simon Bridges, says it's wastefully extravagant spending. But the Corrections Association's vice-president Paul Dennehy told our reporter Tom Furley that while he understands the need for financial prudency, these machines are not a luxury.