Nicole McKee: Courts Minister on the improvements to the backlog in the criminal district courts

The Courts Minister is chuffed at improvements to the backlog in Auckland's criminal district courts.  

The latest Government figures show a 26% reduction over the past year, with an 11% reduction nationally. 

Since April 2023, the number of jury trials awaiting hearings in Auckland has dropped by 8%.  

Minister Nicole McKee told Mike Hosking she's confident they're making good changes for victims and people entering the court system. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So I got some good news from the court system.
The backlog's being tackled in Auckland. It's now down by
twenty six percent. We've gotten eleven percent reduction. Nationwide. Jury
trials have always also reduced by eight percent. Nicole McKy's
the Minister for Courts and is with us. Nicole, good morning,
Good morning, Mike.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Did you know isn't it?

Speaker 1 (00:17):
It is good news. Did you set targets and if
you did, you meeting them or has this just happened?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well? The target that we set as the act party
was to say we wanted to come in and look
after victims of crime. When we wanted to set a percentage,
it was very hard to do because we had these
weather events, we've had delays with COVID, and then we
found that when the courts got back up and running again,
the number of events or court appearances that a person

(00:45):
had also increased, So it was hard to set a percentage.
This was the district court, sorry, the District Court Chief
Justice was set targets for himself and all for the
district courts, and it's a who's time he's ever done that,
And we're starting to get there. We're seeing the improvement.
We're seeing the backlog drop, and it's not just his targets,

(01:08):
but it's all the legislation that the government has put
through with Act. At the HELM, we're feeling really confident
that we're making these good changes for victims, for people
that enter the court system, and these reductions are coming down.
So the targets that the Chief District Court Judge has set,
they are the ones that we're going for. They're pretty aspirational,

(01:29):
but I think we can get there. And the outcomes
that you've just delivered with the percentages and reduction are
really quite outstanding. Even the High Court probate cases, we
had only nine percent resolved within fifteen days and twenty
twenty three, but that figure rose to thirty three percent
in twenty twenty four and it's now sitting at eighty

(01:50):
four percent in twenty twenty five. So the legislation we've
put through the KPIs that the judges have set for themselves.
We're getting there and we're getting this backwog underway, which
means victims are getting through their cases quicker, easier, and
we are supporting all those people out there who have
to enter the duster system and find it really stressful

(02:12):
to do so good. It's such good news, Mike.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Good stuff, nice to talk to you, appreciate it very much.
A jury trials down to eight percent, Nicole McKey, who
is the Minister for Courts. For more from the Mic
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