The existing Tauranga Court House. Photo / George Novak
The existing Tauranga Court House. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga is getting a $150 million new courthouse with more courtrooms on a new site.
Tauranga criminal lawyers say the announcement is "welcome news" and "well overdue".
In December 2019, former Justice Minister Andrew Little announced a new courthouse for Tauranga, which would likely be built on the existing siteon Cameron Rd and McLean St.
Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said the Government was moving ahead with new courthouses in Tauranga and another in Whanganui.
Tauranga's new courthouse would be built on land next to the current courthouse between Monmouth and McLean Sts and was expected to be finished by 2026, he said.
More than $150m has been approved to build the new courthouse.
Justice Minister Kris Faafoi. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The new building will increase the number of courtrooms, meaning High Court cases currently being heard in Rotorua will be heard in Tauranga in the future.
Faafoi said after considerable community consultation by the Ministry of Justice, building on a new site was identified as the best option, and construction would proceed without any disruption to court operations.
He said this decision provided an opportunity to redesign court facilities that helped put victims at the heart of the justice system.
"These courthouses are part of the 10-year infrastructure investment plan to restore and modernise Ministry of Justice buildings.
"The buildings will address the safety needs of all participants, including victims, be more family-friendly and meet physical accessibility requirements for all building users.
"We want to create court facilities which meet the physical, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual needs of New Zealanders. They will also support the Chief District Court Judge's Te Ao Mārama vision for transforming the District Court."
Tauranga senior barrister Bill Nabney said the announcement was "long overdue".
"Better late than never. I hope I will still be alive to see the new courthouse finished. I hope the existing courthouse can last the distance, given our ever-increasing workloads."
Tauranga barrister John Holmes said a new Tauranga courthouse was "overdue" and he was likely to have retired before the building was finished.
Successive governments had failed to adequately recognise the growing needs of Tauranga as a city and the Bay of Plenty as a region for 20 years or more, he said.
The existing Tauranga Court House. Photo / George Novak
However, Holmes said he was sure those in his profession would offer any assistance they could to the design team to get the courthouse built as quickly as possible.
Tauranga defence lawyer Peter Attwood said he welcomed the decision, as there had been a "chronic need" to upgrade the courthouse facilities to meet the justice requirements of the community for some time.
"It's a good thing, and I hoped the design of the new courthouse is robust enough and future-proofed to meet the growing demands of this community," he said.
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Ken Evans said he also welcomed the new build, which could not come soon enough.
"One of the major problems in our justice system is delays in court cases, especially jury trials. I'd like to think the new courthouse will mean a significant increase in the level of court cases going ahead on time and resolutions happening far quicker. "
Evans said he also hoped there would be more court staff to help process cases.
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Ken Evans. Photo / George Novak
Deferred prosecutions cases impacted all the parties concerned with the case, including the local police prosecution team dealing with a backlog of court cases.
"As they say, justice delayed is justice denied."
Tauranga senior barrister Nicholas Dutch said Tauranga's need for a new courthouse, particularly a High Court, was "well overdue" given the large criminal caseload.
Having to travel to Hamilton and Rotorua for high court trial matters was also "very inconvenient" and costly for everyone concerned, Dutch said.
He said it is very important that people are tried by a jury of their peers, which means the jury is selected from people from their own local community, not elsewhere.
Minister for Courts Aupito William Sio said as well as improving the traditional services of a courthouse, these new courthouses will support the delivery of wrap-around services for both victims and offenders through the potential co-location of social and community sector agencies on their premises.
Minister for Courts Aupito William Sio. Photo / Mark Mitchell
"For the first time in Aotearoa New Zealand, courthouses will be designed in partnership with the local community, the judiciary, and local iwi and hapū," Sio said.
"The Tauranga and Whanganui courthouses will reflect local tikanga Māori as well as te ao Māori values."
More than $50m will be spent building a new courthouse on the former UCOL campus site in Whanganui, which is expected to open in 2025.
