Unique arrangements keep Courts running

Some three months after the Christchurch earthquake, strong leadership and commitment from Ministry of Justice staff together with unique arrangements have been central to the Ministry’s earthquake response in keeping the courts and wider justice services running, says Minister for Courts, Georgina te Heuheu.

The Minister was in Christchurch today to view first hand some of the services, and to personally thank staff for their efforts in helping to maintain public confidence in the region’s justice services.

“Around two hundred and twenty Ministry staff are based in the wider Christchurch area working from a variety of temporary locations, including at Ngā Hau e Whā marae in Bromley,” says Mrs te Heuheu.

“District Court criminal list hearings have been running at the marae since mid April, with around 100 defendants now appearing each day.

“I am very pleased with the way the list court is operating. Co-operation between our sector partners including Probation, New Zealand Police, and the Legal Services Agency, together with essential service agencies, is proving critical to its success.”

A further expansion of court and justice services occurred this week with criminal defended hearings being held at Aoraki House, the Māori Land Court building, bringing a near full range of criminal court services back into operation in Christchurch. Aoraki House has just recently been released from the CBD cordon, within which all other primary court buildings still remain. District Court jury trials have been relocated to Timaru in the absence of a suitable alternative facility.

Mrs te Heuheu also visited Hornby Police Station, the temporary home of Christchurch’s coronial services, whose original building has been yellow-stickered. Mrs te Heuheu paid tribute to the work of the coronial team, including Disaster Victim Identification and Police staff.

“Their work has received international accolades from embassies, international forensic experts, and the families of foreign nationals, for a ‘world-class’ coronial response, of which we can be very proud.”

Mrs te Heuheu commented that being able to shift work to courts in the wider Canterbury region, particularly to Rangiora, Timaru and Ashburton, and High Court cases to Wellington, Queenstown, Dunedin and Invercargill, has been crucial to the Ministry’s earthquake response. Plans are taking a Canterbury region wide approach, rather than simply a Christchurch focus, as decisions are made for the future.

The District Courts at Rangiora, Ashburton and Timaru have been vital to supporting the work of the courts and justice in Christchurch. The Minister also extended her thanks to staff in the wider Canterbury region.

In the meantime, the Ministry is working closely with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority on access to its court buildings in the CBD.