This building will one day soon no longer be the Rotorua Courthouse.
This building will one day soon no longer be the Rotorua Courthouse.
A deal for Rotorua’s new courthouse on a new central city site is on the cusp of being struck, but the Ministry of Justice is staying tight-lipped on the exact location.
An announcement about where it will be built is expected in October.
Members of the legal fraternity have called for a new courthouse for more than half a decade, with the conditions in the existing building described over the years as “feral”, “disgraceful” and a hindrance to speedy justice.
In response to Rotorua Daily Post questions, the ministry’s corporate and digital services acting deputy secretary Jo Hickling said the Rotorua Courthouse was no longer fit for purpose and would need to be replaced soon.
“During the past year, the Ministry of Justice has been looking for an alternative site for a new courthouse. The ministry is currently in the final stages of negotiations to buy a site. We expect these negotiations to be concluded by October.”
Hickling said it could not comment on plans for the site until the negotiations had finished.
It was also not yet known what the timeframes would be and what will happen to the existing site on the corner of Tūtānekai and Arawa Sts.
“Similarly, no decisions have been made on the future of the site of the existing courthouse, but if it is found to be surplus to requirements, it will be dealt with through the Crown disposal process.”
The Rotorua Daily Post understands the new site under negotiation is in the central city but is not the site Rotorua Lakes Council requested the new courthouse move to when it wrote to then-Justice Minister Kris Faafoi in May 2021.
Former Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick wrote the letter as part of a pitch to the Government to move the courthouse to make way for a “dynamic and vibrant civic plaza”.
Chadwick’s letter asked Faafoi to consider the council’s proposal to move the Rotorua Courthouse to a site on Pukuatua and Haupapa Sts.
Defence lawyer Tim Braithwaite told the Rotorua Daily Post this week he was encouraged progress was continuing for the new building and he looked forward to seeing the plans developed.
“The sooner building starts, the better. The current building continues to be an impediment to speedy justice.”
Braithwaite said there were not enough courtrooms and the technology was “archaic”.
“Not to mention the poor set-out, with jurors, defendants, complainants and victims not having sufficient space to keep them separate during court proceedings.”
Fellow defence lawyer Scott Mills echoed the concerns, saying a new courthouse was long overdue.
“I don’t think this courthouse is fit for purpose given how busy a court it is, and I don’t think it’s fair to complainants in terms of where they’re placed during trials. It has also been very difficult to see defendants in the cells [at the courthouse] because of the state of them and the fact there are only two.”
Louise Nicholas, who works for the Louise Nicholas Trust as an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, was often at the courthouse supporting complainants during trials.
She said she was invited by the ministry to submit feedback on the “needs and wants” of a new courthouse for her clients and their families.
“I’m stoked it’s finally going ahead, and we are behind them 150 per cent to ensure they get it right.”
She said there were several things wrong with the current system, including the area where children give evidence in sexual abuse trials being too cramped and in rooms that were not soundproof.
She said she and her team were also on high alert at the courthouse because it wasn’t uncommon for complainants to “walk into” defendants and their whānau going in and out of the courtrooms.
Sexual violence survivor advocate Louise Nicholas. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“It’s not safe where we are now. As an advocate, we’ve always got our eyes peeled, looking around for defendants and their supporters. We also bump into jurors when we go out for lunch because of the access points. We are just grateful for the staff at the court, who work really hard to get everyone in and out as safely as they can.”
A defendant appearing in the Rotorua District Court last week told the Rotorua Daily Post it was not a great place to go and needed to be bigger, especially for complainants.
He said there needed to be a private booth where defendants could have conversations with their lawyers.
“It’s not too bad today, but I’ve been here when there’s been lots of gang members, and it can be quite intimidating.”
He agreed to give a defendant’s perspective on the courthouse building on the condition he was not named.
The state of Rotorua’s Courthouse hit headlines in 2018 when visiting Auckland barrister Sam Wimsett wrote to then-Courts Minister Andrew Little calling for urgent action in Rotorua.
He described the conditions as “disgraceful” and said among the worst aspects were the cells, which he said could only be accessed by walking around the street to the back entrance of the court, where there was usually a line of lawyers waiting to see clients.
His calls were backed at the time by Rotorua Crown solicitor Amanda Gordon, who described the court’s cells as “feral” and said the conditions inside the building were so bad, they risked witnesses being put off coming to court to give evidence.
The Ministry of Justice said in a statement the number of courtrooms in Tauranga would increase from 10 to 13, including a provision for High Court criminal trials to return to Tauranga, rather than being heard in Rotorua or Hamilton.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
