KEY POINTS:
One of New Zealand's top judges has warned of a looming "crisis" unless urgent measures are taken to reduce the growing backlog of district court cases in Auckland.
Two-thirds of the country's district court jury trials are held in Auckland, and almost a quarter of defendants are remanded
on bail for up to three months.
In an article in this month's LawNews, northern region executive judge Jan Marie Doogue said that without more resources, there was every chance the increasing workload would create a "crisis".
Between 2005 and last year there was a 36 per cent increase in youth court cases, a 28 per cent rise in defended civil cases and a 25 per cent increase in the number of criminal cases before district courts in the Auckland region.
Those figures highlighted the need for more venues, staff and judicial officers, she said.
The Ministry of Justice is working on a series of short- and medium-term solutions covering courts across the region. One plan is to increase capacity by grouping services with similar features. The proposals are focused on the district court, collections and specialist courts, and tribunal services.
Another is a service centre to handle bulk customer inquiries, high-volume correspondence and applications, as well as some collections work.
This would allow the existing courts in Albany, Waitakere, Auckland and Manukau to focus on criminal and youth court work.
A dedicated courthouse for jury trials and more use of video-conferencing to reduce prisoner transport issues have also been proposed.
Judge Doogue told LawNews Auckland presented "significant and ongoing challenges to all of those who work in the service of justice".
While the ministry was developing a strategy, she said the volume of cases was "increasing exponentially and the physical resources remain static. It is an uneasy place to sit."
Major issues included Auckland's high population growth, the fact that the city's courthouses were "physically full", Auckland's well-publicised transportation problems, ethnic differences and the labour market. These presented very real challenges.
Judge Doogue said another idea being considered to speed up the system was scrapping status hearings, as several lawyers claimed such hearings were "ineffective and little more than a call-over for the resulting defended fixture".
The Auckland District Court building was also about to undergo a refurbishment in which three more jury-capable courtrooms would be added.
The Rotorua Daily Post reported in February that 10 cases were thrown out by judges around the country last year because of excessive delays.
Charges included assault, kidnapping and possession of an offensive weapon.
Criminal Bar Association president Graeme Newell told the Herald on Sunday the fact simple matters were taking up to a year to be heard in Auckland was "simply unacceptable".
The solution was more courtrooms and more resources, he said.
