Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams has welcomed a new joint initiative to use video-conferencing to enable judges to appear virtually in remote courts.

The initiative, involving Family Court judges in Northland and Southland/Central Otago, aims to reduce the number of judicial and court users travelling to remote locations for short fixtures and reduce adjournments associated with poor weather.

This builds on earlier trials of video-conferencing in the Family Court in 2013/14, and leverages recent upgrades to video conferencing technology which provide a more reliable and cost efficient service nationwide.

'Smarter use of technology means we can provide better access to justice and reduce delays for court users, especially those outside the metropolitan areas,” says Ms Adams.

'Growth of video conferencing initiatives has potential for benefits nationwide with more than 4500 procedural events held in our more remote courts over the past 12 months requiring a judge or parties to travel to a remote site.”

Ms Adams said both regions will use video conferencing in procedural events, such as judicial conferences or directions conferences.

'I'm firmly focused on ensuring the court process is as easy and accessible as possible for everyone. The services provided to court users – including victims – must be faster and more consistent, and rely less on paper and buildings. This demonstrates a concerted effort by both the Ministry of Justice and judiciary to make use of the latest technology to make our courts more efficient across New Zealand.”

Northland and Southland/Central Otago were identified as areas that would particularly benefit from this initiative – connecting the Whangarei District Court with the Kaitaia and Kaikohe District Courts, and connecting the Invercargill District Court with the Queenstown District Court. The learnings will then be applied nationwide.

'Modernising the courts is about making the engine room of our justice system fit for purpose, including through the smart use of technology, that serves all court users,” says Ms Adams.

SOURCE: Office of Amy Adams