- Hon Nicole McKee
Courts Minister Nicole McKee says the Government's focus on faster justice is delivering real results, from resolving civil disputes sooner, to reducing family wait times for coroners' findings.
"Justice delayed is justice denied. Every day a case drags on is another day of stress for families, victims, and businesses. That's why we're focused on fixing what matters and getting the courts moving again," says Mrs McKee.
"Attention often goes straight to the criminal jurisdiction of the District Court, but progress is also being made in a number of other jurisdictions that also have a big impact on the lives of New Zealanders.
"The civil courts have focussed on completing older cases, the Disputes Tribunal is modernising with electronic case files, and associate coroners are easing the backlog in the Coroners Court. Together these changes are giving people a justice system that works better and faster."
In the civil jurisdiction of the District Court, the active caseload decreased by 20 per cent in the 12 months to 31 July 2025 from 12,795 to 10,267, with completed cases increasing by eight per cent and new cases decreasing by seven per cent.
"This improvement in performance has been driven by targeting and managing older cases to completion along with careful judicial oversight, direction and guidance," says Mrs Mckee.
"The average age of active civil cases has also dropped sharply. The average age of all active civil cases in the District Court decreased by 36 per cent to 211 days.
"We're seeing the effects of a focus on completing older cases over the past year. The average active age of cases is expected to decrease even further in the coming months as more of these older cases are completed.
"Progress is also being seen in the Disputes Tribunal - one of the busiest forums in the civil justice system.
"I am pleased to say that over 900 more cases were completed in the 12 months to 31 July 2025 than in the previous year, due to targeted case management. As a result, we have seen a decrease in active cases despite an increase in new business.
"The Tribunal has really focused on completing aged active cases - cases over 180 days old. The past year saw a 21 per cent decrease in aged cases (134 fewer than in July 2024).
"I expect this to move even faster as work progresses to remove the Tribunal's dependency on physical files by creating an electronic case document repository.
"Then there's the Coroners Court, an area that can cause families immense pain when delays occur. In the year to 31 July 2025, active cases in the Coroners Court decreased by 15 per cent from 5,882 to 4,990.
"The introduction of associate coroners and clinical advisors has enabled cases to progress more quickly, helping to reduce the Court's overall workload.
"I want to acknowledge the efforts of all involved in these improvements, including joint efforts from the judiciary and wider ministry, as well as court staff who help people access justice every day.
"There's still a long way to go. But these results show that when you focus on fixing what matters, you can deliver a justice system that serves the people."
Note to editors:
- District Court (civil cases): Active caseloads have dropped by 20 per cent in the past year, and the average time cases sit in the system has fallen by 36 per cent.
- Disputes Tribunal: More than 900 extra cases were completed in the past year, with aged cases (older than 180 days) down by 21 per cent.
- Coroners Court: Active cases have reduced by 15 per cent, thanks to the introduction of associate coroners and clinical advisors helping families get closure sooner.
The Ministry of Justice is undertaking an evaluation to evaluate the impact of introducing the Associate Coroner and Clinical Advisor roles. The evaluation will be completed in 2025/26.
