01 Mar 2017
Changes to improve courts come into effect
The Judicature Moderniation legislation updates the century old law underpinning New Zealand courts. The reforms are in response to recommendations in the Law Commission's report 'Review of the Judicature Act 1908: Towards a new Courts Act'.
Many of the changes it introduces come into effect on 1 March 2017.
The legislation makes a number of changes including:
- replaces the Judicature Act and Supreme Court Act with a Senior Courts Act
- repeals the District Courts Act and re-enacting it as a new, modernised Act
- makes the processes and criteria for appointing judges more transparent by requiring the judicial selection and recommendation process to be published by the Attorney-General
- enables specialist panels of judges to be assigned to hear particular types of cases in the High Court
- improves flexibility for the court to limit vexatious proceedings, and
- extends the District Court's jurisdiction to allow it to deal with civil cases where the amount in dispute is up to $350,000, rather than the current threshold of $200,000.
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