Overview: The Ministry’s process for managing booking requests and travel arrangements, and what to expect at the court or in the hearing room.
The Central Registry (CR) manages the booking and payment of interpreters for all courts and tribunals. Bookings with the Immigration and Protection Tribunal differ slightly.
When we email an interpreter about their availability to take on a booking, we call this a ‘request.’ We advise interpreters to confirm their availability for a booking as quickly as possible, as we may contact several interpreters with the same request. Once a request is confirmed, we will send you a booking confirmation email.
Read more about Common jurisdictions in the Courts and Tribunals you may interpret for [PDF, 184 KB]
Read more about the Different hearing types you may attend [PDF, 141 KB]
The CR also makes any special travel and accommodation arrangements. When you advise the CR that you’re available for a booking you (as a provider on an interpreter’s behalf, or an individual interpreter) will need to provide details of any special requirements, including your full name, mobile number, and gender.
Read more about travel expenses and arrangements
Our Standard Terms apply to all interpreter bookings engaged on behalf of courts and tribunals, whether the booking is agreed over the phone or in writing. When you accept a booking to provide interpreter services, you’re automatically accepting these Standard Terms for the engagement.
Please make sure you’re familiar with the Standard Terms before you respond to a booking request as, unless otherwise specified, they’ll replace any terms and conditions you’ve previously provided to us.
The information below is provided for your guidance but is not legal advice and does not set out the full requirements of the Standard Terms. Please refer to the Standard terms themselves for the definitive wording of the relevant terms and conditions.
Read our Standard Terms for Interpreter Services in Courts and Tribunals
A booking is confirmed when the CR sends you a confirmation email with a booking confirmation letter (together referred to as the 'Booking Confirmation' in the Standard Terms). In this email you'll receive a link to the Standard Terms that apply to the booking, a confirmation letter, and further information to support your assignment. You'll also receive an itinerary if you've requested travel requirements. We advise interpreters to keep a copy of this email so they can show someone at court if needed.
It's important that interpreters know that the booking confirmation is the record of the Ministry's agreement to engage their services as an interpreter, and what has been agreed. Except in urgent cases where the Ministry advises otherwise, interpreters should not consider themselves booked to provide their services until they have received a confirmation email with a booking confirmation letter attached. In those urgent cases the Ministry will follow up with a booking confirmation as soon as possible afterwards to record what was arranged.
What to do if you don't receive a booking confirmation
Contact the CR if a hearing you’re booked for is three days away (or less) and you haven’t received a confirmation email. If you’ve misplaced your documents, please contact the CR.
Email: interpreters@justice.govt.nz quoting the case reference number.
Phone: 0800 COURTS (0800 268 787) within 48 hours of the hearing for any urgent requests or questions about a booking.
The process for booking an interpreter for hearings and teleconferences in the Immigration & Protection Tribunal (IPT) differs slightly in order to meet the specific needs of the Tribunal.
Case managers from IPT will continue to use the list of interpreters supplied to the Ministry by the Refugee Status Unit of Immigration New Zealand, to identify an interpreter. This list is private and is not published by the Ministry.
A case manager from IPT will contact the interpreter to check their availability. The case manager will also undertake a conflict-of-interest check with the interpreter.
The CR will email a booking confirmation to the interpreter. This will include a copy of the Guidelines and Code of Ethics specific to the IPT.
If IPT is unable to source an interpreter from the Refugee Status Unit list from Immigration New Zealand, the IPT will ask the CR to source an interpreter off their list.
The confirmation letter you receive may say ‘Name Suppression.’
This means there is a suppression order restricting the publication of certain details. This may be a result of statutory prohibition or judicial order restricting publication. The suppression order can apply to the defendant or another party in the case, such as the victim.
You must always keep all details relating to a case confidential, but you should be particularly careful if there’s a suppression order.
You may face legal action, including a fine or imprisonment, if you breach a suppression order by disclosing any of the suppressed details.
You can update your contact details by emailing the CR.
Email: interpreters@justice.govt.nz
If you’re interpreting for the Immigration & Protection Tribunal, you can update your contact details by contacting the Refugee Status Branch of Immigration New Zealand (MBIE)(external link)
The Ministry holds a national list of interpreters and interpreter agencies. This list contains an interpreter’s name, email, language(s) spoken, mobile number, and the service delivery area the interpreter works in.
The national list is provided to the following groups on request:
The CR will provide a list of interpreters located in the area where the court or tribunal hearing is to be heard. If no interpreter is available in the local area, interpreters from other areas will be included.
If you don’t want your contact details to appear on the national list, you can let us know by email.
Email: interpreters@justice.govt.nz
The Ministry’s Standard Terms don’t include a minimum payment policy. Instead, any minimum payment will need to be agreed and approved by the Central Registry at the time of booking and will be confirmed through your booking confirmation. The Central Registry’s general approach will be to agree a minimum payment period of three hours for attending a (court or tribunal) hearing, but this will not always be the case. If the duration of the hearing is longer than three hours, you will be booked for the specified duration. Interpreters provided through a Language Service Provider (LSP) will be booked under the LSP’s pricing policy.
If your chargeable time (including the 15 minutes before the hearing is scheduled to begin, and any additional hearing time) adds to less than your agreed minimum payment period, you will instead be paid for your agreed minimum payment period at the agreed rate.
Using the three-hour minimum payment period as an example: If the hearing takes two and a half hours, and you arrive the required 15 minutes before the hearing is scheduled to begin (totaling two hours and 45 minutes of chargeable time), you will be paid for three hours.
There may be instances where you’re engaged for additional hearings at the same court or at a different court within your minimum payment period. If this happens, please refer to the agreement sent to you in your booking confirmation, or email interpreters@justice.govt.nz if you have a query about your specific situation.
If you’re required to provide services for longer than the expected duration in your confirmation, please record the additional duration on your timesheet. When you invoice the Ministry, you’ll need to provide an explanation of the additional time and round it to the nearest 15 minutes. You will need to calculate this using your hourly rate. The Ministry pays for additional time in 15-minute increments. Your timesheet will need to be signed off by a court staff member.
Read our Standard Terms for Interpreter Services in Courts and Tribunals
If a hearing is unexpectedly cancelled or rescheduled, you’ll be paid according to the terms set out in our Standard Terms.
The charges you’ll be able to claim will depend on how much notice we gave you about the cancelled or rescheduled booking – whether it was more than, or less than, two working days. We measure this time in full working days, excluding the day of notice and the day of the scheduled hearing.
For example:
If you receive notification that a hearing has been cancelled with less than two working days’ notice, you can only claim your interpreting fees. If you receive notification that a hearing has been cancelled whilst on your way to a court or tribunal, you will be able to claim your interpreting fees and expenses.
For the full definition of working days and our cancellation terms please read our Standard Terms for Interpreter Services in Courts and Tribunals
In the case of a confirmed breach and remedial action, the Ministry will consider each case and make payment in accordance with the Standard Terms.
Make sure you arrive on time. You’re required to arrive 15 minutes before the hearing is scheduled to begin. This requirement applies when you are providing interpreter services in person (at court or at the tribunal) or remotely. Your confirmation email will have all the details, including the date, time, and location. Most tribunal hearings are held at the local District Court.
If you’re unwell and cannot make it to court, please let us know as soon as possible. It’s important to take care of your health and protect the health of others.
Email: interpreters@justice.govt.nz
Phone: 0800 COURTS (0800 268 787)
You will need to provide the case number and the hearing date(s).
What to do if you’re running late or can no longer attend
Phone: 0800 COURTS (0800 268 787) as soon as you know you’ll be late or can’t attend.
Email: interpreters@justice.govt.nz and provide the case number.
Once you have gone through security, check your confirmation letter against the notice boards that will displaying the cases being heard that day to ensure the courtroom (which may have changed since the confirmation letter was sent) is still correct. Then make your way to the courtroom listed on the notice board. If the case name doesn’t appear on the notice board, please go to the public counter to confirm whether the case is proceeding or not. Court staff will be able to advise you of any changes and help you to find the correct hearing room.
Ensure you are in a private space where others cannot hear or interrupt the hearing. You are required to join the video conference/teleconference 15 minutes before the hearing is scheduled to begin. This gives you time to check for any technical issues. The 15 minutes is included in your chargeable time.
Standard court protocol and interpreter conduct (as outline in the Quality Framework) applies to video conference and teleconference hearings.
More information on participating in virtual court hearings can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: Participating in a virtual meeting room court hearing
The Ministry has Court Security Officers (CSOs) on hand to ensure the personal safety of people who attend court. You can talk to a Ministry staff member (either security or court staff) on the day of the hearing about any safety concerns you may have.
Alternatively, you can raise any safety concerns by emailing us and quoting the reference number.
Email: interpreters@justice.govt.nz
If urgent, you should call 0800 COURTS (0800 268 787) and ask to speak to the case manager for the court or tribunal hearing.
You should arrive at the specified courtroom 15 minutes before the hearing. This will allow you to assist Counsel to receive any instructions from their client (if the hearing is a first appearance). It also allows Counsel to brief you on:
There may be occasions where you are briefed on proceedings by a judicial officer or adjudicator if a participant doesn’t have assigned Counsel.
Read more about the Court Materials you may be provided with. [PDF, 97 KB]
You need to complete and submit an invoice and timesheet after a hearing.
You must get your timesheet signed off by court staff. The exception is if you are attending a hearing remotely then you don’t need to. After the hearing, you can ask the Court Registry Officer (CRO) in the court or tribunal hearing room to sign our timesheet. Or you can ask a staff member at the customer service desk to do this. You must also sign your own timesheet.
Read more about how to submit an invoice and timesheet
Most courts and tribunals use specific words and language (terminology).
Glossary of frequently used words and terms
Most hearings record the interpretation, and the judge may call for a transcription.
An interpreter must take the oath or make an affirmation that they will interpret to the best of their skill and ability. This might be at the start of the hearing (for the defendant), or before a witness requiring an interpreter gives evidence.
By swearing an oath or making an affirmation, you’re making a promise that your interpretation of the evidence is true and correct. If you knowingly make a false oath or affirmation, you commit perjury and may face criminal charges.
The court registrar administers the oath or affirmation. This will be done for you first, as you’ll be required to interpret the oath or affirmation for the witness. The registrar will read the appropriate script for the oath or affirmation. You’ll be required to indicate your agreement to the oath or affirmation.
Read here for a copy of the Oath and affirmations [PDF, 158 KB]
Interpreters usually provide consecutive face-to-face interpretation rather than simultaneous interpretation in Aotearoa New Zealand courts and tribunals.
Consecutive interpretation means the speaker pauses at the end of each segment to allow the interpreter to repeat that segment in the second language. Simultaneous interpretation is when the interpreter interprets as the speaker speaks. The speaker doesn’t always stop at regular intervals; this allows conversation to flow as it would if the interpreter weren’t there.
Simultaneous interpretation is not used very often in Aotearoa New Zealand because it requires recording equipment that many courts and tribunals don’t have access to. However, the presiding officer may sometimes request it, such as for a lawyer’s opening or closing address or the judge’s summing up. Where simultaneous interpretation is used, the court will set up the necessary equipment or give you the material to be interpreted in advance.
You will commonly see simultaneous interpreting being provided by interpreters for the Waitangi Tribunal and parties that require one or more New Zealand Sign Language interpreters. New Zealand Sign Language interpreters work in a buddy system and will swap out with one another every 15 minutes or so. These interpreters don’t work in a booth, like those interpreting for the Waitangi Tribunal do, as they require more frequent breaks due to the nature of their interpreting.
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