Auckland court sites to re-open tomorrow
[updated at 3.45pm 28/10/19]
The Auckland District Court, Chorus House and Swanson House will re-open and resume normal service from tomorrow, Tuesday 29 October.
Over the weekend the Ministry engaged contractors to clean the air filter systems, along with the building interiors to ensure the environment is safe for staff, judiciary and court participants to return to.
Court participants concerned about their court cases should call the contact centre on 0800 COURTS.
[updated at 8.56am 26/10/19]
Due to the fire in the Auckland CBD, Auckland District Court, Chorus House and Swanson House remain closed until further notice, for public safety reasons.
For court participants with questions or concerns, please call the contact centre on 0800 COURTS.
Auckland District Court, Chorus House (which houses tribunals and other courts i.e. Environment, Employment Courts) and Swanson House (which holds the Public Defence Service) remain closed to ensure the safety of both staff and the public.
The Ministry has engaged contractors this weekend to check that the interior of the Auckland District Court, Chorus House and Swanson House are fit to be occupied. We will make a decision prior to Tuesday as to whether or not court services will resume on Tuesday, and all staff and court participants will be informed. A contingency plan remains in place for urgent overnight arrests during the long weekend and should the courts need to be closed longer.
Some criminal cases have been transferred to the North Shore, Waitakere and Manukau District Courts. The Ministry of Justice will be in touch with affected participants. Other criminal cases may be adjourned to another date and the Ministry will inform participants of future court dates.
Urgent Family Court without notice applications are still being processed. All hearings for Family cases have been transferred to the North Shore District Court and all participants have been notified.
All Tribunal and coronial matters have been adjourned and the Ministry will be in touch with participants involved in those cases about future hearing dates. The High Court will remain open during usual hours.
At this point, the health and safety of Ministry staff and the public is paramount. If you have questions or concerns please call the contact centre on 0800 COURTS.
Media enquiries should be directed to media@justice.govt.nz.
We will update this page as soon as we have further information.
This page was last updated: