Corrections said eight prisoners were being taken from Auckland Region Women's Corrections facility on a chartered flight on Wednesday, when one of the passengers began behaving in a disorderly manner.
She damaged an interior window, sustaining a minor hand injury in the process.
The prisoners were securely escorted back to prison after landing in Auckland.
The facility's general manager Tanya Yandall said the woman responsible for the damage would be charged with misconduct, and a full review of what happened would be carried out.
"This behaviour is completely unacceptable and incredibly disruptive for our staff, the crew and the other prisoners. Our staff did an excellent job in de-escalating the situation, and I'd also like to acknowledge the three flight crew for their response during this incident."
Yandall said safety was their top priority, and that corrections transferred prisoners by charter flight on an approximately fortnightly basis without incident.
"This allows us to transfer a large number of prisoners around the country at a time on flights that only transport prisoners and corrections staff."
