A Lower Hutt community is elated a paedophile will now be moved following their strong opposition, but Corrections still stands by the processes that put him there.
Hundreds of Maungaraki residents signed a petition to get 61-year-old repeat offender Robert McCorkindale out of their neighbourhood because the house he was placed in was close to a local school.
Mayor Ray Wallace also opposed McCorkindale's placement, saying it was "unsuitable".
Corrections confirmed McCorkindale was being moved to Christchurch Men's Prison under an interim arrangement until another "suitable" residence can be found.
"It is a daily reality that offenders move to reside in the community at the conclusion of their custodial sentences. Once released, offenders will frequently be subject to further restrictions depending upon the level of risk that they pose and the likelihood of reoffending," Corrections national commissioner Jeremy Lightfoot said.
A meeting was held on Thursday with Corrections, Mr Wallace, Labour Hutt South MP Trevor Mallard and residents, where the department heard their concerns.
Mr Mallard on Monday said there was an "indication" the lease on the property is being "given up or terminated" by August 29.
"The local community is very happy, of course, because not only is this guy going, but no one else is going to come in to replace him.
"I think it's a major victory for everyone who's been involved in opposing it. It is a relief to the people in the immediate area - I think it does show when a community is united, and when Corrections has made an error, and they made a grievous error in this case, it can be corrected and it has been."
Maungaraki Community Association president Thomas Maharaj said the community is "safe and child-friendly" with many young families.
He said while it's understood offenders need to live somewhere, "his placement by Corrections, in a community full of kids and with 31 young children in immediate vicinity, was unsuitable".
"Over 400 people attended two community meetings about this matter and communicated calmly and clearly to Corrections why this placement wasn't suitable. We're disappointed this situation arose in the first place, but welcome their decision to move him out."
Mr Mallard says Corrections was "receptive" to the community's concerns at Thursday's meeting, but at other meetings including the previous day were "not wanting to change their minds".
"I'm pleased they have seen sense at last. What I regret is that they didn't do the job properly and check out the appropriateness of the house before they put someone in it.
The issue now is where McCorkindale could be moved to next - one suggestion from the Sensible Sentencing Trust is to house him on prison grounds, an idea Mr Mallard supports.
"It's my view that Rimutaka Prison and Whanganui Prison, amongst others, are big enough to have small but comfortable homes put on them with an extended fence using electronic monitoring - it would be a lot cheaper and more efficient, and frankly for someone with this guy's background and problems its totally appropriate."
Local National MP Chris Bishop also said it was a win for the community, and though it was a highly emotional issue for the community the logic behind their argument prevailed.
He said it would be hard to find a suitable place for McCorkindale which was away from children and young people.
In a statement, Corrections said moving McCorkindale was necessary because the service provider had become "increasingly uncomfortable with the community's reaction to their presence".
"Because of this, the service provider regrettably terminated its contract early."
At the house, McCorkindale was being monitored by Corrections under strict conditions, including 24-hour electronic monitoring. He couldn't leave the house without prior approval and needed to be accompanied.
Mr Lightfoot says he's been managed in the community for more than 10 years without reoffending. He said a "great deal of care and effort" was put into his placement.
"Corrections worked closely with other agencies, including the police and the Ministry of Education. The local council was advised ahead of the placement. Immediate neighbours were notified of the placement, as is my preference with such cases. I firmly believe that Corrections took all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the community."
Mr Lightfoot says the vast majority of offenders placed into communities didn't draw "adverse reaction" from residents. However, the process can sometimes be "particularly challenging".
"If we can learn from the experience in Maungaraki ways in which we can do this better for concerned communities, we are absolutely open to doing so."
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