A prison guard says a letter of apology from a prisoner to the staff members he assaulted will not excuse his actions, but is a step in the right direction.

A prisoner in a Spring Hill Corrections Facility in North Waikato has apologised for starting a fight with another inmate in late January, which resulted in five staff members who stepped in to help, being assaulted by a number of prisoners.

Prison manager Gavin Dalziel comments that in his 30 years working in prisons he has not seen many apologies. He says although the letter will not get the inmate out of being charged in court, it does go some way towards him learning to take responsibility for his actions.

The prisoner said in the letter that he was sorry for what he had done and realised the prison staff were just doing their jobs.