For the third time in five years, the District Court of New Zealand has won the “Excellence In Judicial Administration Award” from the Australasian Institute for Judicial Administration (AIJA) for its
website.
The AIJA recognised the website for its publication of select decisions by the District Court and gave the award to Karen Harvey and Tony Fisher, who led in the establishment of the site. Harvey is the director of publications in The Office of the Chief District Court Judge. Fisher was the District Courts general manager and now director of Māori strategy at the
Ministry of Justice.
The District Court previously won the award for its Te Koti Rangatahi, Rangatahi Court initiative, and court services restoration in Christchurch following the 2011 earthquakes.
“Before the website existed, District Court decisions were rarely published and were difficult to access, unless in summary as reported by news media,” Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue said. “The award is richly deserved by those who devised an online publishing system capable of managing the volume and diversity of decisions in the District Court, along with a gold standard system for vetting the sensitive nature of some of the material.”
Since its launch in mid-2016, the website has published more than 1,400 decisions. The award recognises efforts to improve access to justice, demonstrate innovation, and deliver real benefits, the District Court said. Chief Justice Doogue leads the editorial board of senior judges responsible for the selection and publishing of decisions on the website.
She said that transparency, judicial accountability, openness, and equal access to justice inspired the establishment of the website.
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