Neil Sands
The government has committed to replacing cramped and dilapidated courthouses in Whanganui and Papakura, but officials cannot say when urgent work will take place on other rundown structures such as the notorious Waitākere District Court in West Auckland.
The Papakura courthouse has been covered in plastic wrap since 2021 to prevent moisture getting in after mould was discovered, while the 1960s-era Whanganui building is not big enough to hold large jury trials.
“We need to ensure that courthouses are up-to-standard and expect both of these projects to provide safer spaces for victims, defendants, participants and their families,” Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee said.
The new Whanganui facility, costing about $100 million, will house the District Court and High Court, with four courtrooms. The new Papakura courthouse will be on a former RSA site bought for $11m, with construction costs still under negotiation.
Both facilities are expected to be operational in 2027.
‘It’s just awful’
Julie-Anne Kincade KC, vice president of The Law Association and convenor of its Criminal Law committee, said the rebuild had been a long time coming and much more work was needed in other courthouses.
“We welcome the fact that this work’s being done. However, we’re concerned that there are still places which urgently require root-and-branch work so that they’re fit for purpose,” she told LawNews.
The Auckland barrister cited Waitākere District Court, which LawNews revealed earlier this year is in such disrepair that staff are scared to turn the lights on when it rains for fear of electric shocks and people are being forced to use single-ply rolls in the toilet to prevent blockages.
“It’s actually amazing that there hasn’t been some sort of attack or incident there,” Kincade said.
“The basic layout of the place means everybody’s sort of squashed together and there’s no room to go anywhere to talk to anybody, or for people to be separated. Registry staff have to walk through public corridors with documents, the judges park in the same car park that Corrections walks prisoners though. It’s just awful.”
Andrew Kibblewhite
Secretary for Justice Andrew Kibblewhite told Parliament’s Justice Select Committee last week that the issues at Waitākere were on the ministry’s radar, but he could not say when they would be fixed.
“It’s certainly on our 30-year plan. It’s one of those ones where we know the need is relatively urgent,” he told the committee. “We had bought land in Waitākere in order to enable that development. It’s one of the ones we’re having discussions with ministers about, so I can’t give you a statement of time.”
Kibblewhite said the 30-year plan was probably the largest ever undertaken by the ministry.
“We’ve broken down what we think the needs are in each court. It takes into account health and safety issues, seismic issues, operational effectiveness and the capacity that might need to be added.”
Asked about the future of courthouses in regional areas, Kibblewhite said only Ohakune had closed down recently but added “we’re always assessing need”.
“There are no specific plans to close any other courts, but the reality is, as we go into the future, we’ll be looking at what sort of role technology plays, what are other ways, are there other facilities? So, it’s a dynamic picture.”
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