Group of district court judges appearing remotely in trial amid Omicron spread

Offenders due to appear in court may not be dealt with by a judge in the flesh.

Last week, 19 judges in 10 district courts across the country began a trial to preside over courts remotely.

Judge Gregory Hikaka, who last Tuesday beamed into Hāwera District Court via audio-visual technology, dealt with a handful of matters, most of which were bail applications.

A list court, which was originally scheduled, would usually hear many more cases.

Most counsel, some defendants and all court officers appeared in person.

The office of Chief District Court Judge Heemi Taumaunu said the trial was intended to help the courts prepare for the ongoing spread of Omicron and the possibility that some courts may need to resort to remote technology to continue operating.

It was a joint initiative between the Ministry of Justice and the District Court Judiciary with an aim to increase the capacity of judges to conduct proceedings remotely.

"Some of the work normally conducted by judges in courthouses can be done by a number of judges working from home conducting courts using remote technology."

There are 189 district court judges.

The number of judges involved in the trial was expected to increase in the coming weeks.

So far, the judges involved have conducted list courts, sentencing courts, case review hearings and pre-trial applications.

From Monday this week, newly revised court protocols state people attending criminal, youth, family and civil divisions of the district court, in either green, orange or red settings, must show a vaccine pass or proof of a recent negative Covid-19 test.

"People can be assured that all court staff, judges and judicial officers in court buildings are vaccinated," the Chief District Court Judge's office said.

The Herald asked if any judges have declined to declare their vaccination status, whether any cases have had to be rescheduled because of the judge's remote appearances, and for how long the trial was intended to continue.

All questions went unanswered.