7. STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) Link to this
to the Minister for Courts
What initiatives has the Government put in place to improve case management in the Environment Court?
Hon RICK BARKER (Minister for Courts) Link to this
I have implemented several initiatives, including a new case management regime, extra judicial and administrative resources, and contemporaneous digital evidence recording. There is also now a stand-alone Environment Court with three registries in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, devolved from a central registry based in Wellington.
Very effective. The court has dealt with a significant backlog of matters arising out of the notification of district plans throughout the early 1990s. The caseload in the Environment Court has been more than halved, from 3,137 cases at the end of June 2001 to 1,566 cases as at June 2005. Hearings are now being held within 6 months, generally, compared with up to 24 months in 2001.