Twenty one new District Court judges have been appointed, which will increase the total from 155 to 172 (some are retiring but 10 positions are new). This sounds like a lot of judges, but the courts are under a lot of pressure, with delays in proceedings common. Increasing ethnic and gender diversity is a given these days.
RNZ: Diverse intake of 21 new District Court judges
Another 21 new District Court judges have been appointed in a move the government says is to improve access to justice and boost diversity in New Zealand’s courts.
The appointments include 11 judges filling the positions of judges who have retired from the District Courts but 10 positions are new, as provided for in last year’s Budget.
The appointees include 10 new Māori judges, eight Pākehā, one Māori/Chinese and two Samoan. Twelve of them are women.
Attorney-General David Parker said there was an increasing workload for District Court judges.
“It’s partly because of population increase, partly because the trials are more complex than they used to be and partly because we’re trying to take an approach to therapeutic courts where we’re trying to deal with the underlying drug and addiction issues of some of the offenders so they don’t reoffend.”
The names of 14 of the new judges were released today, with the rest to be announced later this year.
If the gender and ethnicity are known then all the appointees must be decided on. I don’t know why seven names won’t be announced until later in the year.
Your NZ 
Corky
/ 22nd January 2020”The appointees include 10 new Māori judges, eight Pākehā, one Māori/Chinese and two Samoan. Twelve of them are women.”
Since when should justice be about diversity and women? To me this is both moral and constitutional corruption.
”We’re trying to take an approach to therapeutic courts where we’re trying to deal with the underlying drug and addiction issues of some of the offenders so they don’t reoffend.”
That is not the courts function. While it’s true a judge has discretion and can rightly exercise that discretion, it should not come at the cost of justice.
duperez
/ 22nd January 2020I’m trying to work out how appointing suitably qualified people as judges, including women and those from a diverse range ethnicities, is moral and constitutional corruption.
Corky
/ 22nd January 2020”We’re trying to take an approach to therapeutic courts where we’re trying to deal with the underlying drug and addiction issues of some of the offenders so they don’t reoffend.”
Have a think through that. If you don’t get it I can’t help you. On a more global perspective we see in that statement the collective push by this government to further weaken our justice system under the mistaken (?) belief that courts are a therapy tool. Of course to implement such a woke system requires woke judges…not stale white males who just apply the law.
But even they are starting to be wokafied by cultural courses they are required to attend.
Meanwhile in Taradale…
duperez
/ 22nd January 2020I can certainly understand that you can’t help me if you consider it moral and constitutional corruption merely by suitably qualified people being appointed as judges.
Corky
/ 22nd January 2020You missed the point. Hell, I even hinted at the answer. I’m moving on.
Blazer
/ 22nd January 2020Applied justice should reflect the make up of the communities they sit in judgement..on.
Pink David
/ 23rd January 2020“Applied justice should reflect the make up of the communities they sit in judgement..on.”
I agree, more Judges should have criminal records.
Duker
/ 23rd January 2020The High Court has what they call ‘Commercial list’ which for business disputes where they get judges who come from a commercial law background such as tax, property, insurance and so on. Not for them the run of the mill criminal judges, no siree.
That’s an existing case of he judges reflecting the background of commercial law.
Blazer
/ 23rd January 2020they put their pants on the same as you PD…
‘https://www.kiwisfirst.com/judge-lance-criminal-trial/
Blazer
/ 23rd January 2020https://www.kiwisfirst.com/judge-lance-criminal-trial/
Duker
/ 24th January 2020Pants on? what does that even mean. Does the apple not fall far from the tree as well.
I pointed out that companies get judges ‘from their background’ to decide their sorts of cases. In response I get semi coherent nonsense
Duker
/ 22nd January 2020Im sure the names havent been released yet for some of the judges as they have to finish up the cases they are working on. A judge hearing a case might act differently if they thought it was done by a soon to be fellow judge. Others named might not be so much on going work before the courts or can pass it on to colleagues more easily.
Corky likes a jury of his peers but not so much the judges.
At the District Court level the decisions can be all over the place, not necessarily ‘justice’ at all with mistakes and plain bad decisions.
Corky
/ 22nd January 2020Corky likes a jury of his peers but not so much the judges.
What are you dribbling on about?
Kitty Catkin
/ 22nd January 2020Peers means equals.A jury has been intended since the days of Magna Carta to be of the defendant’s peers; which means, of course, people like themselves. In other words, ordinary people, not lawyers. This doesn’t mean peers in the sense of lords and dukes.
The idea is that the evidence will convince the ordinary person of the defendant’s guilt or innocence when it’s presented.
Corky
/ 22nd January 2020😀
Kitty Catkin
/ 22nd January 2020I am glad to have cleared that up for you, and hope that you were able to understand what it meant as you seemed so confused about what a peer was.
Pink David
/ 23rd January 2020“The appointees include 10 new Māori judges, eight Pākehā, one Māori/Chinese and two Samoan. Twelve of them are women.”
Just remember, the most important thing is not the content of these people character, but rather the colour of they skin, and the configuration of their genitals.
duperez
/ 23rd January 2020To you maybe. Their character and ability to do the job we don’t know about. I presume whoever appointed them has confidence that they qualify on those grounds. Do you know differently?
Alan Wilkinson
/ 24th January 2020Since most of the defendants will be male, why are most of their judges female?