Christchurch jury trials to resume

Minister for Courts Georgina te Heuheu has announced that District Court jury trials will resume in Christchurch tomorrow. 

Six trials were postponed last week due to the likely unavailability of people during earthquake recovery efforts, the close proximity of the court complex to the central city cordon, and the state of emergency.

The decision to resume was made with the agreement of the judiciary and after a majority of jurors indicated they were now able to attend court.

Mrs te Heuheu said having courts and other justice services available to support fellow agencies like Police and Corrections was critical to maintaining law and order in difficult conditions, and helped restore a sense of normality and confidence for Canterbury residents.

"I would like to express my thanks and admiration to Ministry of Justice staff in Canterbury for their hard work in helping to return court services to normal after the earthquake.

"Despite the obvious distress and disruption suffered by staff and their families, our courts were ready for business on the Monday after the earthquake.

"It can't have been easy for them to turn their minds to work after the harrowing experiences caused by the earthquake, but they showed great professionalism and commitment", Mrs te Heuheu said.

There were no High Court jury trials scheduled during the two weeks following the earthquake.  The next High Court jury trial is due to start next Monday.

All court services, Collections, Coronial Services, the Environment and Maori Land Courts and the Disputes and Tenancy Tribunals are now operating as usual, and no significant delays or backlogs are expected as a result of the earthquake.