Corrections is denying the alleged Christchurch mosque gunman is only being watched by Pākehā prison guards.
- Christchurch terror attack: Gerry Brownlee calls for tough punishment of Christchurch gunman
- Australian man cries in court after defending Christchurch terrorist
- Christchurch mosque attack survivor felt 'bullet shells falling on him'
Unconfirmed reports on Sunday stated the white supremacist is being guarded exclusively by Pākehā, apparently in an attempt to avoid antagonising him.
"This wouldn't normally happen; staff is not allocated based on their race," the source allegedly told NZME.
"The authorities might think having guards who aren't white might antagonise him, but the point is, why should he have special favours?"
But Corrections told Newshub this is "incorrect".
"We have a diverse staff. Their safety is our top priority - our operational staff rostering has not and will not change for this individual," a spokesperson said.
According to NZME, he was flown from Christchurch to Auckland on a New Zealand Defence Force plane.
Corrections wouldn't confirm the details, but said "we worked closely with other agencies to securely transfer this prisoner into Corrections custody following his appearance in court in Christchurch".
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis won't disclose where the alleged offender is, but it is believed he is currently in the maximum security prison at Paremoremo.
There the 28-year-old, who has been charged with murder, is being held in segregation under 24-hour surveillance. He has no access to television, radio or newspapers and no approved visitors.
The prison is home to New Zealand's most violent criminals. Among them is recently convicted murderer Malcolm Rewa, and William Bell, who is serving a 30-year minimum sentence for the murder of three Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA staff in 2001.
Newshub.
