New claims have emerged of unrest at another jail in the North Island soon after scandal engulfed Auckland's Mt Eden prison.
Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon said three prisoners "smashed" their way out of cells at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison at the weekend.
Mr Hanlon said a unit was locked down early because a staff shortage and "cost-cutting" was to blame for the incident.
Inmates at the publicly managed jail were using pieces of wood with nails in them to smash windows, Mr Hanlon told Stuff.co.nz.
The Department of Corrections confirmed that an incident took place involving four prisoners yesterday in a low-security unit at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison.
"The incident was resolved peacefully and quickly, with no use of force. An extra staff member was on duty at the time, along with the usual three staff in the unit."
The incident comes after claims that prisoners were routinely dropped from balconies at Mt Eden, where videos inmates in organised fight clubs also surfaced.
Those revelations, combined with claims of widespread consumption of illicit goods, led to the Government taking over management of the privately-run prison in Auckland.
Prime Minister John Key warned today that Serco could lose its contract at Mt Eden if its management of the facility was found wanting.
The Department of Corrections has taken over the management of that prison today.
