Wheels of justice turn faster in city

Rotorua MP Todd McClay

The average age of criminal cases brought before Rotorua District Court has fallen by more than 20 per cent since April 2013.

Justice and Courts minister Amy Adams announced yesterday that overall, District Courts in the Central North Island region achieved a 20.4 per cent reduction in the age of criminal cases - with an average time of 69 days for cases active at the end of December 2014.

That included a 20.4 per cent reduction in Rotorua District Court to 83 days.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay said the decrease was good news for victims.

"We've seen a lot of progress over the past few years in bringing people to justice sooner.

"While some of the more complex cases can take longer, a reduction to 83 days will reduce stress and worry for victims and family members."

The Ministry of Justice has set itself a target to halve the time it takes to deliver justice services by 2017.

As at the end of December 2014, there was a nationwide reduction of 21.5 per cent in the average age of criminal cases.

When civil cases, Family Court and Disputes Tribunal cases were included, the overall reduction in the Central North Island was 8.4 per cent to an average age of 139 days.

Ms Adams said the region's courts had made good progress in reducing the average age of criminal cases and reductions in cases overall.

"We're continuing to work hard to achieve our target of halving the time it takes to deliver justice services."