Corrections Minister Judith Collins says her department and union staff need to sort out problems at Auckland maximum security prison at Paremoremo.
Corrections officers at the prison yesterday passed a vote of no confidence following long-held concerns over staff health and safety.
Corrections Association New Zealand (Canz) union members said they had no confidence in the prison manager and senior regional managers following a high number of assaults on staff.
Ms Collins told reporters she wanted the department and union to resolve the issues.
"The safety of staff is obviously a major consideration for us and a priority," she said.
"It is always worrying but I want the Canz and Corrections to sit down and sort it out, get back to normal."
Corrections northern regional manager Warren Cummings told NZPA today that he was "interested" in what the union had to say but the vote had come as a surprise.
Management would meet union representatives today.
Mr Cummings said he was confident that matter would be resolved and Corrections had been working on a number of initiatives to improve the safety of staff and inmates.
Canz president Beven Hanlon said prison management had refused to comply with union requests, including on an agreement to manage units within the prison during short staffing.
Paremoremo currently had the highest statistics for assaults on New Zealand prison officers, he said.
"Corrections officers are increasingly being put at risk by poor management, and as soon as something goes wrong, Corrections officers are put under investigation," he said.
