An $18 million project to modernise the court system has been put on ice after six years of development and a delay of up to a year.
Courts Minister and Wanganui MP Chester Borrows announced the eBench system for judges' decisions in criminal courts in June last year but yesterday
said it would be suspended "for now" after hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars had been spent.
"We've already made significant progress, with more and more court services now available online. We've also learnt a lot about what we need, and what better technology can give us.
"This has led the Ministry of Justice to re-evaluate plans and look again at whether they were on the best track to deliver the electronic court that everyone involved in the justice system wants," Mr Borrows said.
Suspending eBench "for now" meant the ministry could focus their efforts on "opportunities that are now clear", including an electronic court file as the basis for transforming how the courts work, Mr Borrows said.
