Staff at Tauranga District Court stopped work on Tuesday and picketed the courthouse for an hour as part of a national strike.
The Public Service Association is escalating industrial action over a stalled pay dispute. Last week staff at three courts, Whakatane, Te Awamutu and Rangiora stopped work for an hour.

Cynthia Wheeler, Deputy Registrar for Ministry of Justice in Tauranga. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

The Tauranga courts staff were striking with more than 1700 other Ministry of Justice staff who work at district and high courts, and tribunals from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
The one-hour strike from 10am, involved Ministry of Justice staff who belong to the Public Service Association.
The PSA members have been 'working to rule” since October 14 over pay negotiations.
Last week the 'work to rule” involved staff taking their breaks together which caused the closure of four district courts for up to an hour while the staff taking action took their lunch breaks, says PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff..
'Justice workers are now walking off the job and striking because the ministry continues to refuse to negotiate their pay,” says Richard.
Ministry of Justice civil servants are paid 6.3 per cent less than public servants in other government departments, says Richard. Some are paid as much as 13 per cent less than the public service median.1200 Justice staff are paid 9.25 per cent below the median.
'The PSA has not put a figure on how much it's seeking in a pay rise for the 1700 Justice staff it represents,” says Richard.
'We've simply identified how much justice is underpaying its staff and have been trying to negotiate with the ministry on how to close that pay gap.
'We began the negotiations four months ago when the two collective employment agreements for our justice members expired.
'The problem we have is that the Ministry of Justice is refusing to engage in a meaningful pay negotiation.
'It continues to rely on an unfair and unjust pay system that's caused the underpayment of the PSA and its members working at the Ministry of Justice are trying to address this.”
'Justice staff taking action have voted to continue a campaign of rolling strikes if the ministry continues to refuse negotiation, says Richard.This includes working to agreed hours, not working any unpaid overtime, work travel being carried out within normal business hours and compulsory lunch and afternoon tea breaks.
David Fisher, general manager of New Zealand's District Courts, says the ministry simply cannot afford current union demands.
'The union claim would cost the ministry in excess of $100 million over three years,” says David.