Category: MIL-OSI

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Release: End to the Treaty Principles Bill, but challenges remain ahead for Aotearoa

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Ka mate te pire I te rā nei
The bill dies today

Engari ka kakati tonu te namu I te whārangi o te pukapuka
But the sandfly continues to nip at Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Ka ora tonu te hoariri!
The enemy still lives!

This whakataukī penned by Labour MP Peeni Henare reflects what it means for the Treaty Principles Bill to be voted down today.

“While this Bill was officially defeated in Parliament today, it was defeated in the hearts and minds of people long before today,” Chris Hipkins said.

“We saw more than 300,000 submissions, thousands marching in the streets with volunteers all over the country providing water, shade or a seat to rest tired feet. We saw whānau holding writing workshops in their marae, churches, community halls, parents teaching their tamariki and kaumātua raising flags with trembling hands.

“These are the people we thank today. Our work on progress for Māori, and for all New Zealand does not stop here. While this grubby little bill goes no further, it shows how much more work we still have to do,” Chris Hipkins said.

Willie Jackson pointed out that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not turn up for the debate, and National’s Crown-Māori Relations Minister did not speak.

“That weak, spineless Prime Minister used Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a bargaining chip during his coalition negotiations and then failed to turn up again and again to front the damage and division he has caused,” Willie Jackson said.

“Our people have had to stand up, speak out and submit against this Bill because of him, but he hasn’t even bothered to be here. And the one Minister in that Cabinet whose job it is to stand up for Māori didn’t even speak. This Government is a disgrace.”

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Release: Bill to make trading laws fairer passes first hurdle

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Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament.

“This Bill is about the sale and supply of alcohol – and that’s it. It only focuses on businesses that can already open and workers that will already be working. It will allow bars, restaurants, and supermarkets to serve or sell alcohol as they would any other day of the year,” Kieran McAnulty said.

“The current law is confusing. At Easter for example you can purchase alcohol at the pub down the road on Thursday, but not Friday unless you have a meal as well, then you can buy a pint or two again on Saturday, but not Sunday again unless you have a meal. And its unfortunately hospitality workers who have to monitor this – which can sometimes be difficult – as well as doing their usual jobs.  

“RSAs should be able to serve veterans the traditional rum and coffee on Anzac Day morning without having to apply for a special license.

“There isn’t any good reason why the law is this way, except that it’s always been that way. That’s not a very good reason to have a law.

“It’s time to simplify it, take the onus off businesses to interpret how they can or can’t serve their customers and make hospitality workers’ lives a little easier.

“This Bill is different to previous ones like it because it only looks at liquor licensing rules – not labour laws or trading laws. It won’t mean people have to work on their otherwise guaranteed days off.

“It allows businesses that would’ve opened anyway to serve their customers a drink,” Kieran McAnulty said.

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E tū welcomes defeat of Treaty Principles Bill – E tū

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E tū, New Zealand’s largest private sector union, welcomes the overwhelming defeat of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill in Parliament yesterday. The bill, which sought to redefine the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, was rejected by 112 votes to 11.​

E tū President Muriel Tunoho expressed immense pride in the union’s active opposition to the bill:​

“I am extremely proud that E tū took a stand and made submissions to oppose the Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill too. Thank you all for playing your part in this incredible fightback.​

“It was right to finally see the bill consigned to the past and into the bin. The results show that this is not us.​

“We don’t need to rewrite or re-define the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We just have to live them!”​

E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh highlighted the bill’s potential to undermine the foundational agreement between Māori and the Crown:​

“This bill sought to fundamentally alter the meaning of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by selectively and incorrectly interpreting the reo Māori text. It tried to undermine the separation of powers under the rule of law by using the power of Parliament to change Aotearoa New Zealand’s constitutional foundation, all based on a legal and historical fiction.​

“This bill has done damage. It has given airtime to false and racist ideas.​

“It also galvanised hundreds of thousands of people to stand up – toitū Te Tiriti. More than 90% of the submissions on the bill called for it to be abandoned. E tū and thousands of our members were among the voices in those submissions. The submissions stood up for the truth of Te Tiriti as the foundation on which we can build a society where tāngata whenua and tau iwi take care of each other.​

“Now that Parliament has voted it down, we can start to repair the damage and to build an Aotearoa where we honour Te Tiriti and respect each other.”​

E tū remains committed to upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and advocating for a just and inclusive society.

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Latest justice statistics released

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Headline: Latest justice statistics released

Latest justice statistics released

The Ministry of Justice has published its most recent official statistics on criminal convictions and sentencing for the financial year ending 30 June 2024.

The tables are published every six months. Official statistics help the Government, researchers, and members of the public obtain a full picture of the justice system.

The statistics contain details on people who have gone through the courts or accessing justice services.

The statistics include:

  • General justice (including the number of finalised charges and people with finalised charges)
  • Children and young people (in Youth Court, in all courts)
  • Specific offence types (such as violent and family violence offences)
  • Specific justice processes (such as discharged without conviction, outcomes for mentally impaired persons and name suppression)
  •  Family Court (including all Family Court applications, Protection Order applications and adoption)
  • Justice services (such as collections and legal aid).

You can view the latest statistics and a summary here:

Latest justice statistics

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Consultation opens – Public views sought on options to change the law for attending court remotely

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Headline: Consultation opens – Public views sought on options to change the law for attending court remotely

Feedback is sought on options to change the law for attending court remotely.

The Ministry of Justice is undertaking a first principles review of the Courts (Remote Participation) Act 2010 and now wants to hear from the public on options for change set out in a discussion document. 

The Act provides a framework for determining when court users can attend remotely by audio-visual or audio links instead of in-person.

Feedback is sought on options for change related to three areas: what a remote participation Act should apply to; how decisions about participating remotely should be made; and when remote participation should be used.   

The key objective is to achieve a modern, fit-for-purpose regime that increases remote participation, supports access to justice and promotes efficiency in courts in a way that is consistent with the interests of justice.

The Government decided to review the Act in December 2023 as part of its 100-Day-Plan commitment to enable more virtual participation in court proceedings. The review is part of a wider work programme to improve the efficiency, timeliness and performance of the courts system.

Public feedback is sought by 6 December.

You can find the discussion document and provide feedback online through the Ministry’s Citizen Space consultation hub:

Review of Courts (Remote Participation) Act 2010 consultation(external link)

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Ministry to undertake seismic strengthening work at Nelson Courthouse

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Headline: Ministry to undertake seismic strengthening work at Nelson Courthouse

Nelson Courthouse is being vacated for up to three to four months from Sunday (February 23) for seismic strengthening, prompting changes to the way court services are delivered in the region.

The findings of an Initial Seismic Assessment, received by the Ministry of Justice in recent days, assessed the Nelson Courthouse as being at 15 percent of New Building Standard (NBS).

While engineers found the courthouse could continue to be occupied, the connection between the original courthouse and a building extension added in 2007 was a safety concern.

On that basis, the Ministry believes it is prudent to vacate the entire complex while remediation work is carried out.

“Our plan is to complete the remediation work as quickly and as safely as possible to enable normal operations at the courthouse to resume,” Ministry of Justice chief operating officer Carl Crafar says.

Addressing this potential critical structural weakness will improve the building’s performance in the event of a significant earthquake.

“Protecting the safety of everyone who spends time in the building – including members of the public, the judiciary and staff is our highest priority,” Mr Crafar says.

The Ministry is already in detailed planning to minimise the impact on court operations.

“Some scheduled court events will continue virtually while some other events may need to be rescheduled. Anyone who is expected to attend court during the remediation work period should await instruction from court officials,” Mr Crafar says.

An update on when the courthouse will reopen to the public will be made in due course.

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Public Defence Service to consult staff on proposed changes

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Headline: Public Defence Service to consult staff on proposed changes

5:00pm – 3 April 2025

Proposed changes for the Public Defence Service (PDS) are designed to increase case volumes, boost access to the service and contribute to court timeliness.

“The PDS are a highly professional group of dedicated, hard-working people, focused on ensuring clients receive high quality legal services,” says Director, Public Defence Service Peter Hutchinson.

“We have been reviewing our operating model to ensure that we are meeting our current performance expectations as well as achieving timeliness for the criminal justice system. A significant way in which we can do this is by being able to take more legal aid cases, within our current volume settings, from the 2025-26 financial year onward.”

“To achieve this within our current budget, we need to make changes to how the PDS operates and prioritises work, and to its organisational structure,” Mr Hutchinson says.

Today, a Proposal for Organisational Realignment was sent to PDS staff for consideration and feedback.

Under the proposal 25 roles would be disestablished, with 22 of these either support or management roles.

Twelve new roles are proposed to be established. Depending on final decisions made after consultation with staff, PDS would also look to establish a further 12 new lawyer positions.

Once the new lawyer positions have been established, there would be a net overall reduction of one position.

The delivery model for legal support services would also change, with the establishment of two legal support hubs – one in Manukau and one in Wellington.

It is proposed that the PDS reduce the size of the current standalone Appeals Team, with a corresponding decrease in the number of Court of Appeal and Supreme Court cases that the PDS can accept each year.

PDS lawyers with the required Appellate listing would still represent clients at appeals.

The proposal also seeks to improve the delivery, alignment and national consistency of the duty lawyer service.

The consultation period closes at 5:00pm on Thursday 24 April 2025.

“Our proposed reprioritisation, combined with the hiring of more lawyers is designed to help boost the number of PDS lawyers able to take legal aid cases,” Mr Hutchinson says.

“We will not be making any decisions until we have carefully considered all feedback from our staff. We appreciate that this is an unsettling time, and appropriate support is being offered.”

About the Public Defence Service

  • The Public Defence Service (PDS) is an independent criminal law practice providing advice and representation to defendants who have legal aid in criminal cases.
  • The PDS also oversees the duty lawyer services in the courts where it operates.
  • The PDS is the largest criminal law practice in New Zealand, with over 150 criminal defence lawyers in 10 offices across New Zealand.

 

ENDS

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Ministry of Justice finalises organisational realignment

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Headline: Ministry of Justice finalises organisational realignment

The Ministry of Justice – Te Tāhū o te Ture has finalised its organisational realignment, which is aimed at making savings whilst also ensuring core justice services are delivered to New Zealanders.

Under the finalised structure announced today by Secretary for Justice Andrew Kibblewhite, 186 roles will be disestablished, 89 of which are vacant, and 59 new roles established. This will result in a net reduction of 127 roles, almost exclusively in National Office functions. Under the initial proposal announced in June, 178 roles were proposed to be disestablished.

“Firstly, I want to I want to acknowledge how difficult and unsettling it has been for our kaimahi, especially those who have been impacted by the change proposal and today’s final decisions. Throughout, they have behaved with professionalism and a commitment to our RISE values of respect, integrity, service and excellence – and I want to thank them for that,” Mr Kibblewhite said.

“We received more than 1400 pieces of feedback from staff on the original proposal and have taken this feedback into consideration when shaping our final decisions.

“As I said at the start of our change proposal process, the key factor in our decision-making has been the need to deliver on our core functions and strategy and continue our work to strengthen people’s trust in the law of Aotearoa New Zealand.

“In finalising these proposals, we looked closely at where we might be able to make savings, reduce duplication or overlap in functions, and be more efficient,” Mr Kibblewhite added.

Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of measures initiated by the Ministry of Justice to identify efficiencies and ensure the agency’s long-term fiscal sustainability, including significantly reducing the use of contractors and consultants, and actively identifying savings in non-personnel areas by reducing travel, printing, SIM cards and other operational costs.

The Ministry of Justice will now begin the appointment of people into the new roles with the new structure coming into effect on 1 October.

Media contact:

Joe Locke
Media and Social Media Manager
media@justice.govt.nz
021 636 416

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Ministry to undertake seismic strengthening work at Greymouth Courthouse

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Headline: Ministry to undertake seismic strengthening work at Greymouth Courthouse

The Ministry of Justice is to undertake seismic strengthening work of the Greymouth Courthouse, to ensure its long-term resilience and ongoing use.

Bruce Findlay, the Ministry of Justice Regional Manager, Southern, said the Ministry had received a Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA) report on the Greymouth Courthouse last week, which assessed the building as 15 percent of New Building Standard (NBS), indicating it is potentially earthquake prone.

“We have received independent advice from Holmes Group CEO John Hare who is one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent structural engineers, and his Seismic Risk and Occupancy Assessment advises the building is suitable for continued occupancy while it is being remediated,” Mr Findlay said.

“On that basis, the Ministry of Justice has made the decision to continue occupying the building.  The safety of the Ministry team and judiciary who work in the building every day, as well as members of the public and other people who visit the building, is our primary concern and we have updated staff on the situation. Government Ministers, the Grey District Council, lawyers’ groups and other stakeholders have also been advised.”

Mr Findlay said the issue came to light in February when tradespeople repairing a leak on the courthouse roof identified potential seismic issues that warranted examination.

The Ministry immediately engaged an independent engineering firm WSP to carry out an Initial Seismic Assessment (ISA) of the courthouse which was completed with urgency. While that rapid assessment concluded there was no immediate risk to staff and the public, engineers advised the Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA) was needed to better understand the scale of the remediation work needed to ensure the courthouse’s long-term resilience. 

That remediation work has already started and is expected to take between six to nine months including design, consenting and remedial construction.

“It is likely the most critical work can be implemented quickly with low levels of disruption, after which the building will no longer be earthquake prone. Wider seismic resilience and other property improvement work is expected to take a few years,” Mr Findlay said.

ends

The Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA) of the Greymouth Courthouse, produced by WSP in August 2024: Greymouth District Court – Detailed Seismic Assessment [PDF, 4.6 MB]

The Engineer’s Occupancy Assessment of the Greymouth Courthouse, produced by Holmes NZ LP in August 2024: Greymouth District Courthouse Ministry of Justice – Technical Advisory [PDF, 907 KB]

Media contact:

Joe Locke
Media and Social Media Manager
media@justice.govt.nz
021 636 416

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Justice Sector Projections released

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Headline: Justice Sector Projections released

Justice Sector Projections released

The Ministry of Justice | Te Tahū o te Ture, in collaboration with justice sector agencies Department of Corrections – Ara Poutama Aotearoa, New Zealand Police, Oranga Tamariki, Crown Law and the Serious Fraud Office has released its latest projections for New Zealand’s prison population over the next 10 years.

The projections, which evaluate long-term trends to estimate what may occur in the criminal justice system, help to inform investment, planning and policy decisions.

This year’s report projects the prison population will increase from 9,294 in February 2024 to 11,317 in June 2034. This excludes the impact of policy programmes in development.

The projected increase in total prison population is driven by the increase in both remand and sentenced population. The sentenced population is projected to reach its peak in September 2026 at 5,826 then stabilise around 5,700 until June 2034. Unlike the sentenced population, the remand population is projected to increase consistently – from 4,132 in February 2024 to 5,592 in June 2034.

Ministry of Justice Sector Insights General Manager Rebecca Parish said the remand population is projected to grow in the long term as people spend longer in custodial remand. “This is due in part to cases taking longer to be resolved in court,” Parish said.

“Several initiatives are already in place or in development to improve delays in the court system, including the Timely Justice Action Plan – a consolidated programme of initiatives across Police, Ministry of Justice, Department of Corrections, and the judiciary,” Parish said.

The plan aims to improve court and remand timeliness by reducing the average time taken to resolve a case and therefore reduce the average time spent in custodial remand.

Policy programmes which are currently in development or before Parliament also have the potential to impact on the prison population. This includes planned, but yet to be formally implemented, initiatives and legislation. These are estimated to further increase the total prison population by between approximately 2,000 and 2,400 over the next 10 years (up to between 13,300 and 13,700 in June 2034). These estimates will change as policy undergoes further development.

The full report can be found here: https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/research-data/justice-sector-forecast/

For more information, contact media@justice.govt.nz

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