A top Corrections official says the decision to house a convicted paedophile near a Wellington primary school should never have happened.
Aaron Paul Laurence pleaded guilty in 2012 to 65 charges of abuse, including the rape of young boys and the production and distribution of video of the abuse.
His victims were as young as seven.
Stuff reports he was considered to be at "high risk" of reoffending when he was released on September 1.
Laurence was moved into a residential neighbourhood in central Wellington, just 100 metres from a daycare and in close proximity to a playground and primary school.
Corrections regional commissioner Paula Collins said the release address for Laurence should never have been approved.
"The address was in a central Wellington suburb near where a number of children live, go to school and play."
The decision posed a risk Corrections was "not willing to tolerate", she said on Tuesday.
"No person would be permitted to reside at an address if it was considered that their risk could not be safely managed and public safety upheld."
Collins apologised for any inconvenience to Laurence or his support network and said housing child sex offenders is "particularly challenging".
"The reality is that without accommodation these people would be homeless, which would present an unacceptable safety risk to communities."
Laurence has been moved into an undisclosed address in an industrial area.
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