Ministry of Justice considering rebuild option for Rotorua courthouse

The Ministry of Justice is considering rebuilding Rotorua's courthouse.

Rotorua's courthouse may be rebuilt. Photo / File

A proposal for a major revamp of the facilities - which have been described as a "disgrace" by one lawyer was confirmed last year, with a ministry official saying at the time he hoped phased construction work would start by the end of this year.

Fraser Gibbs, the ministry's general manager of commercial and property, said the option was still being investigated and at the detailed design phase.

"This design work will include refined costings and a comparison of the existing plan to renovate the current building versus building a totally new courthouse."

He said some minor roofing work had recently been completed and additional roof improvements were planned for next year, with security upgrades also a possibility.

There was, however, no specific timeline for a major upgrade.

But with $100 million in Government funding announced yesterday for a state-of-the-art rebuild of Tauranga's court facilities, one Rotorua lawyer was hoping the local district would be next in line.

Rotorua's court complex has had issues with leaks. Other issues previously raised included cells described as "horrid" and "feral" as well as the need for another courtroom and improvements to the layout, the entrance to speed up security, the wi-fi and air conditioning.

Rotorua Crown prosecutor Amanda Gordon in 2016. Photo / File

Amanda Gordon, Rotorua's Crown prosecutor, said there was no doubt Tauranga needed a new courthouse, but so did Rotorua - desperately.

"The current courthouse is a disgrace. It doesn't meet the needs of anyone, really, and the sooner they do something about it the better.

"It would be nice to think that they would spend similar money on a new court for Rotorua."

Gordon is not the only lawyer to have gone public with concerns about the facilities. Last year, after a stint working in Rotorua's High Court, Auckland barrister Sam Wimsett wrote to Justice Minister Andrew Little calling the conditions a disgrace and asking for urgent action.

Yesterday Justice Minister Andrew Little said Rotorua was "very high" on the priority list for a redevelopment.

Justice Minister Andrew Little and district court judge Louis Bidois hongi at a funding announcement in Tauranga on Monday. Photo / George Novak

"I can't make any commitments about them at the moment. Tauranga was the priority but we will get to Rotorua hopefully sooner rather than later."

Some of the reasons Tauranga had taken a higher priority were that parts of the courthouse "can't even be used", and the city could not conduct High Court jury trials.

"That is a big gap in the judicial service need for an area like this."

Little said the Tauranga project would include a complete rethink of the traditional courthouse design and how it should work for all users.

The design phase would include consultation with iwi, victim advocates, court staff and other court users.

The end result would be a prototype for other courthouse redevelopments for the next 50 to 100 years.

"My vision for the courthouse of the future is a place where the services and things that you need - things like addiction services and mental health services - you can access them at the courthouse.

"We can plug people into that support they need much earlier and get the help that they need, because at the moment a whole lot of people fall through the cracks."

Victims sworn at, spat at: advisor

The Government's chief victims' advisor, Dr Kim McGregor, in Tauranga yesterday. Photo / George Novak

An advocate for victims of crime says a redesign of Tauranga's courthouse is a long-awaited "great first step" towards a justice system that better supports victims.

Dr Kim McGregor, the Government's chief victims' advisor, said she had heard from more than 1000 victims as part of the justice reform programme.

Many reported they did not feel safe, listened to or well informed during the court process.

"I have had complaints from victims where they have had to sit next to the accused and the supporters of the accused, where they have been sworn at, spat at, and [people have] just intimidated the victim-survivors and their supporters as well."

A separate entrance for victims was one of the changes at the top of her wishlist for the redesign, and something advocates had been asking for around the country for more than 30 years.