Justice Minister Amy Adams today announced the appointment of renowned victims advocate Dr Kim McGregor, QSO, to the role of Chief Victims Advisor to Government.
Ms Adams says Dr McGregor has nearly 30 years’ experience working first-hand with victims of sexual and family violence and is the ideal candidate for this newly created position.
Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams and Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell marked 150 years of Te Kooti Whenua Māori –or the Māori Land Court – in Parliament this evening.
“The Māori Land Court is New Zealand’s oldest and longest established specialist court. It holds a special place in New Zealand and is one of a few courts of its kind in the world so it’s important we recognise this significant milestone,” says Ms Adams.
Ms Adams said the Māori Land Court played an important role in New Zealand’s justice system.
New Zealand’s organised crime and corruption laws are now stronger with the passing of the Organised Crime and Anti-corruption Legislation Bill today, says Justice Minister Amy Adams.
The Bill, which introduces a range of measures to tackle illicit activities such as money laundering, bribery and drug-related crime, passed its third reading in Parliament with the support of all parties except for New Zealand First.
Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams and Police Minister Michael Woodhouse will travel to Canberra today to represent the New Zealand Government at the fourth meeting of the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council.
“With key sessions on law enforcement, law reform, and family and community safety, this is an invaluable forum for discussing current justice sector issues and sharing ideas and experiences,” Ms Adams says.
A new text message reminder service is now available for those appearing in court, Justice Minister Amy Adams has announced.
The new service offers defendants the option to receive an automated text message the day before their district court hearing, reminding them of the date, time and location.
“Text reminders are commonplace for many sorts of appointments, from hospital to hairdressers, and this new service should help defendants by prompting them the day before they are due in court,” says Ms Adams.
Justice Minister Amy Adams and Immigration and Police Minister Michael Woodhouse have today met with Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton in Sydney to continue discussions around the deportation of New Zealanders.
“The issue around the deportation of New Zealanders from Australia is a significant issue for us and this meeting was an opportunity to continue to work through our ongoing concerns,” Ms Adams says.
Justice Minister Amy Adams has announced the details of a new supervision regime being proposed for offenders who return to New Zealand after serving a prison sentence overseas.
“Our paramount concern in this regard is the safety and security of the New Zealand public,” Ms Adams says.
“From the outset, it’s been my intention that criminals being returned to New Zealand should be subject to the same sort of oversight, as offenders who had served a similar prison sentence in New Zealand.
Reforms to make the coronial system more efficient and reduce the impact on families took a step forward in Parliament last night, says Justice Minister Amy Adams.
“Making the coronial system more responsive is beneficial for everyone involved, especially those affected by a sudden or unexplained death,” Ms Adams says.
The Bill stems from a targeted review of the Coroners Act 2006 which showed the system was working well overall but improvements could be made.
The Bill makes several changes, including:
The latest New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey (NZCASS) released today shows personal and household crime has reduced by a third over five years, Justice Minister Amy Adams says.
NZCASS is New Zealand’s most comprehensive victimisation survey that gathers information on a range of personal and household offences such as assaults, sexual assaults, threats and burglaries.
Justice Minister Amy Adams today welcomed a new appointment and two reappointments of members to the Abortion Supervisory Committee.
Capital and Coast DHB counsellor Carolyn McIlraith has been appointed as a new member and Hamilton doctor Dr Tangimoana Habib and committee Chair Professor Dame Linda Holloway have been reappointed.
Justice Minister Amy Adams has welcomed the appointment of former public sector chief executive Simon Murdoch and the reappointment of Dianne Macaskill to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).
Chaired by Judge Sir David Carruthers, the IPCA consists of up to five members appointed by the Governor-General. The appointments are for a term of three years and are made on the recommendation of Parliament.
Victims of crime and their families now have access to greater support with the extension of the Victim’s Information Line, Justice Minister Amy Adams says.
Established in 2008, the free phone service provides information to victims of crime and their families about what support services are available to them as well as information about the criminal justice system. It also connects victims to services and ensures crisis calls are directed to the correct agency.
As of October 1 this service will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Justice Minister Amy Adams and Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga have responded to the independent inquiry into matters surrounding the escape of Phillip Smith/Traynor.
The inquiry noted that while Mr Smith’s escape did not indicate fundamental problems with the overall system, it did find there were shortcomings in various agencies’ systems and processes.
The Government accepts, or accepts in principle, 34 of the 39 recommendations. The remaining five recommendations raise wider issues which the Government will consider as part of this work.
Justice Minister Amy Adams and Police Minister Michael Woodhouse today announced that an information sharing arrangement with Australia regarding trans-Tasman deportations has been signed by both countries.
The arrangement follows a commitment made in February by the New Zealand and Australian Prime Ministers to progress an arrangement covering information sharing and deportations.
The Government’s relentless focus on reducing crime is delivering outstanding results, with the number of people appearing in court continuing to fall.
Justice Minister Amy Adams today welcomed two sets of Conviction and Sentencing statistics covering both adult and youth offenders for the year ending June 2015.
“The figures show that the number of adults charged in court has decreased by 36 per cent since its peak in 2009/10 – down 5 per cent in the last year,” says Ms Adams.
Justice Minister Amy Adams today launched a new Victims Code as part of the Government’s work to better support victims of crime.
Ms Adams launched the initiative at the Red Raincoat Trust's annual victims conference in Napier today.
The Victims Code formally sets out how victims can expect to be treated by the people, agencies and groups who are working to help them, and will also explain their rights under the Victims’ Rights Act.
Work on proposals to strengthen Dunedin’s historic courthouse is continuing at pace, Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams says.
The Minister met with officials from the Ministry of Justice this week to discuss the draft business case.
Ms Adams says the work done to date confirms both the complexity and cost of the project to strengthen the court house.
Justice Minister Amy Adams and Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Paul Goldsmith have announced a new appointment to the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal.
Wellington barrister Jason McHerron has been appointed an adjudicator to the Tribunal for a five-year term.
“Mr McHerron is a highly respected barrister who brings a wealth of experience to this role. His skills and knowledge will see him make a good contribution to the Tribunal,” Ms Adams says.
New Zealanders have two more weeks to have their say about how we can strengthen our family violence laws, Justice Minister Amy Adams says.
There has been a strong response from submitters since the Minister launched the discussion document Strengthening New Zealand’s legislative response to family violence in August.
“More than 170 submissions have already been received from a broad range of submitters including from the public, sector experts and non-government agencies,” Ms Adams says.
Justice Minister Amy Adams has announced new information sharing rules between family and criminal courts as a part of the Government’s work to help reduce the harm caused by family violence.
The new rules allow judges to access more information, including affidavits, victim impact statements, and summaries of facts from family violence proceedings that weren’t previously easily available to them.
Justice Minister Amy Adams today opened the upgraded Manukau District Courthouse after a $51 million makeover that future-proofs one of the country’s busiest courthouses.
The Manukau District Court receives about 11 per cent of the country’s criminal cases and around 8 per cent of family cases each year. The courthouse also serves New Zealand’s youngest and fastest growing civic population.
The Court upgrade includes four new jury trial courtrooms, extra hearing rooms, holding cells and improved judges’ facilities.
Justice, Communications and Broadcasting Minister Amy Adams has released a discussion document looking at whether policy and regulatory frameworks are fit for purpose in the current New Zealand media landscape.
The paper titled Content Regulation in a Converged World focuses on the merging of previously distinct broadcasting industries which has produced a lack of clarity around the classification of content, advertising restrictions, and rules around election programmes during general elections.
A new pilot programme will soon see Judges making bail decisions automatically receive a new report on defendants’ family violence history, Justice Minister Amy Adams has announced.
From September 1, the trial will see Judges in Porirua and Christchurch receive a Family Violence Summary report which details all recorded family violence incidents involving each defendant. It includes police safety orders or protection orders, as well as any breaches of these.
Associate Minister of Justice, Simon Bridges, has announced a number of appointments to the Real Estate Agents Authority.
Experienced commercial and property lawyer, John Auld, has been reappointed as the chairperson for a two year term while three new members have been appointed to the Authority, each for a three year term.
Those members are Elizabeth Nidd, Anthony Stack and Marion Cowden. Ms Nidd and Mr Stack have experience as real estate licensees, while Ms Cowden has held senior directorship roles in the public and private sectors.
