Improved court facilities for Waitakere   5 May 2016

Amy Adams

5 MAY, 2016

Improved court facilities for Waitakere

Courts Minister Amy Adams says recent refurbishments and upgrades to the Waitakere District Court will improve court facilities and services for the people of Waitakere.

While visiting the 20 year old Court today, Minister Adams said the Court had been badly in need of attention to both improve the presentation of the building and ensure the availability of quality court services.

“The $3.8 million upgrade includes video-conferencing (AVL) facilities, a new one-stop-shop court counter, court security enhancements, additional facilities for judges, lawyers and Police, and general refurbishments,” says Ms Adams.

As part of the upgrade the Court was connected to the country’s AVL network. This allows prisoners and defendants remanded in custody to appear in the court without leaving prison, increasing safety and security for the public and court users.

Another key feature was combining the Family and Civil, and Criminal counter services together into one single service staffed by a team trained to handle enquiries for all jurisdictions.

“This approach has proven successful in other courts we’ve upgraded, including the Manukau District Court, and means people wanting to access these services will now only need to visit one place, whatever their enquiry,” says Ms Adams.

Steps have also been taken to strengthen the Court’s security, including security system upgrades of the interview rooms and courtrooms. The public entrance has also been fitted with an enhanced scanning system.

“The Government is committed to ensuring New Zealanders have access to quality court services, wherever they live, and the refurbishments to the Waitakere District Court deliver on that promise for the Waitakere community.”

The main features of the upgraded Waitakere District Court are:

• AVL in one courtroom

• The creation of a one-stop-shop court counter service for enquiries for all jurisdictions

• Refurbishments to all courtrooms, registry areas, and public facilities

• An enhanced security access way for people entering the building

• Secure custody access to Courtroom Four

• A new police room and two extra cells, including an ‘at risk’ cell

• Two additional judges’ chambers

• New rooms for Community Magistrates and Justice of the Peace

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