Minister for Courts Nicole McKee. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
New case review hearing guidelines will be introduced nationwide by the Chief District Court Judge on Thursday in a bid to ensure court trials proceed on schedule.
The guidelines have been piloted in the Auckland and Waitākere district courts and would now be rolled out nationwide.
Minister for Courts Nicole McKee said it was an important step in reducing court backlogs.
"These guidelines provide a clear process for reviewing evidence and resolving issues before trial, improving scheduling accuracy and court efficiency," she said.
Meanwhile, new data showed a significant drop in sentencing adjournments in the district court, with sentencing adjournments in the criminal jurisdiction falling from 36 to 29 percent over the past two years.
McKee said that resulted in nearly 2900 fewer delayed sentencing hearings.
"This means more cases are proceeding as planned, freeing up court time and helping more people access timely justice," she said.
McKee said the collaboration between the District Court Timeliness Programme, the Sentencing Ready team and the Prosecutions Uplift Programme all played a part in reducing delays.
She said they were seeing real results from efforts made to keep the courts moving.
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