Location remains closed due to seismic strengthening and remediation work
The Ministry of Justice has announced that court users still cannot enter the Nelson courthouse building as the seismic strengthening and remediation work continues within the premises.
Due to the ongoing work, the court has restricted public counter services and introduced temporary measures for its operations. The justice ministry said in its update it will contact the affected court users in case of any changes in the dates for court events.
The update said that court users can reach out via phone or email to communicate with the registry, ask for assistance, check where to go, or inquire about any changes to their court dates.
The justice ministry said it expects the seismic work to be done by the end of May and intends to provide a public update once it knows when the courthouse can reopen.
The update said that the High Court is hearing cases remotely from Wellington or Blenheim. The District Court has a temporary courtroom in the Community Corrections building at Albion Square, 323 Hardy Street, where criminal matters are proceeding as scheduled or through an audiovisual link.
The Family Court is holding family and civil hearings in a temporary courtroom in the community, with court users and counsel informed ahead of time about the date and venue. The update noted this location has no staff members or counter services available.
For judge-alone or jury trials, the court is triaging trial matters but proceeding with some pre-trial hearings, with staff informing court users and counsel about pre-trial matters that are moving forward.
The court is proceeding with tribunal matters and hearing them virtually, with staff notifying participants about the in-person hearing location if one is required. According to the update, while mental health cases are proceeding as usual from the hospital, financial assessment hearings are not proceeding and are rescheduled for June.
Court users can file documents via email or the drop box at the courthouse’s side entrance. The update said those who need to communicate personally with a court registrar can visit the temporary courtroom at the Community Corrections building to do so.
