“The Labour government is now pouring more than a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money per year into the court system, while its outcomes remain as bad as ever,” says National’s spokesperson for Courts Chris Penk. 

Recently released data shows that delays in criminal hearings at the District Court level have continued to grow, despite the claim of the Minister for Courts, Rino Tirikatene that backlogs have come down to pre-Covid 19 levels.   

The Minister’s claim, which was made in a select committee hearing two weeks ago, was immediately contradicted by the latest statistics showing that waiting times for criminal cases are now 46 per cent higher than they were prior to pandemic disruptions. 

“By claiming improvements that are simply illusory, the Minister has shown this government to be out of touch with what is happening in the courts. Dysfunction and delays continue to frustrate all users of courts, including victims with lives left in limbo as they await resolution,” says Mr Penk. 

“And it’s not just at District Court level that proceedings remain sluggish; average wait times for serious criminal trials to be completed in the High Court have now blown out beyond the two-year mark. The average completion timeframe of 26 months represents an increase of eight months, or more than 40 per cent, in the five years since Labour got into government.  

“All this is despite pouring an average of $50 million more each year into courts since 2017. Resources are not going into creating practical solutions to address delays and deliver justice for Kiwis, instead being used for report writing and other navel gazing exercises.” 

National has suggested to a succession of Labour ministers that better use of audio-visual hearings would expedite case flow and start reducing the backlogs, as one straightforward and practical step among many. 

“Everyone impacted by undue court delays – especially victims of crime – deserves to have timely access to justice. 

“These persistent delays, which remain despite all the public money spent, are yet another indictment on Labour’s inability to deliver.”