The year in review

The following initiatives and responses were key priorities for judicial leadership in 2024. They are expanded upon further in the report.

• Access to justice initiatives, including improving accessibility to ensure that our courts meet the needs of Deaf and disabled court participants (see Part 3).
• Timeliness in the courts: The report highlights the work underway to address delay and improve efficiencies in the courts. These include initiatives in the District Court (see Part 2), in the High Court (such as the Auckland Commercial List, which aims to increase efficiencies in the Auckland High Court’s civil jurisdiction), and in the Coroners Court (see Part 2).
• Response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care: In July, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care published its final report on the abuse and neglect of children, young people and adults in the care of the State and faith-based institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand between 1950 and 1999. The report included recommendations for the judiciary. The Commission’s report is discussed in Part 3 and the judiciary’s response to its recommendations is discussed in Part 1.
• Courthouse safety: The number of reported security incidents was significantly greater than last year, and is part of a longer-term trend. Part 2 describes the work being done to address safety concerns in court.
• Technology in the courts: Remote participation and the soon-to-be-introduced digital case management system Te Au Reka have the potential to transform the work of the courts and improve access to justice. See Part 2.
• Ensuring the courts are properly resourced: The courts are dependent on the executive branch of government to provide sufficient and appropriate resources to operate. This year the Heads of Bench continued to advocate with the executive for the appropriate resourcing necessary to support accessible and timely justice, for appropriate technology to expand the courts’ remote participation capability (see Part 2), and for sufficient judges (see Part 1) and courtrooms (see Part 2) to hear the number of cases required.
• Open justice and transparency initiatives: These initiatives aim to make information about the courts and their decisions readily available to the public, and the media. Part 4 “Open justice and engagement” describe these initiatives.
• Pacific and international engagement: The New Zealand judiciary fosters strong links with judiciaries in the Pacific, Australia, and around the world. Part 5 explores these connections.