Wednesday 16 March

The Ministry of Justice’s post-earthquake response is moving away from essential services to new phases of recovery and business continuity.
After an immediate focus on staff welfare and essential court services, the Ministry is now working on plans for managing the short and medium term effects of the Christchurch earthquake.

Deputy Secretary Courts, Andrew Hampton, says there are some major logistical challenges to overcome.

“We are only a matter of weeks out from this devastating national disaster, so there is much work still to be done before we can return to business as usual.
“Getting all the different parties involved in a court case together in a suitable facility is no easy feat, but we’re making good progress in coming up with alternative arrangements that will work for everyone,” Mr Hampton says.

Mr Hampton says temporary locations including the Wigram Air Force Museum are being used for a range of urgent hearings. Use of existing courts for Christchurch matters at Rangiora, Ashburton, Timaru and Wellington is likely to be extended as recovery and business continuity plans take effect.

Civil Defence advice received yesterday has moved many of the Ministry’s main court facilities out of the red cordon area into the orange zone. There is now increased optimism over being able to operate out of Christchurch court buildings.

“We are now much more hopeful that we will be able to return to our buildings earlier than we originally anticipated. But that optimism has to be balanced with what services and amenities are available and how much clean-up work is required to provide a safe workplace.

“While the Environment Court building has been ‘red stickered’ most of our other buildings are ‘green stickered.’ This means we can begin the tidy up and remedial work as soon as we have access.

“A number of other buildings in the vicinity are categorised as red, so in terms of being able to provide safe public access we also have to factor that in.

“It is an ever-changing environment in Christchurch, so we will continue to work with the judiciary, the legal profession and our fellow justice sector agencies to make sure there are realistic expectations around what is possible in the coming months,” Mr Hampton says

The Ministry of Justice has a freephone line 0800 324 627 for anyone with questions on justice services and further details are also available on the Ministry's website: www.justice.govt.nz.

Current arrangements:

District Court
• Essential criminal and youth arrest hearings are managed from Rangiora District Court
• Custodial remands being dealt with at Christchurch Men’s Prison
• Urgent family and civil applications managed through Ministry national call centre 0800 324 627
• Urgent Family Court hearings are being held in facilities at Wigram Air Force Museum
• Jury trials and scheduled hearings in Christchurch are postponed until further notice
• Public enquiries and Christchurch court user information is managed from our national call centre 0800 324 627
• Bail variations: People on bail who have relocated away from Christchurch to other centres should approach the closest court to seek a variation to their bail conditions.
High Court
Able to proceed with Christchurch matters depending on party and counsel availability. All matters can be filed in the Wellington registry until further notice. The Court will decide on a case by case basis, in consultation with counsel, how matters are to proceed, including where any hearings will occur.

Civil matters
• General civil matters, excluding Tenancy, may be filed through lawyers or contact 0800 324 627

Tenancy Tribunal
• Tenancy Tribunal staff are co-located at Tenancy Services’ Christchurch premises. Adjudicators are available to deal with urgent matters.

Māori Land Court
• Until further notice all Christchurch enquiries should be redirected to the Maori Land Court, National Office, Wellington.

Employment Court
• The representatives of parties with scheduled hearings in the Christchurch courtroom are being contacted by the Registry to make alternative arrangements.

Legal aid
• The Christchurch Legal Aid Office remains closed but Christchurch legal aid clients and lawyers can still call the Christchurch office on 03 363 6500 for information.

ENDS

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