Tribunals

Background

The Tribunals Unit was established in 2002 following a review of the structural and organisational requirements of the Special Jurisdictions Group of the Ministry. It had been until then known as the Tribunals Division for many years.

The Tribunals Division (in existence in various forms since the early seventies) had the responsibility for supporting a very wide and diverse range of Tribunals, statutory bodies, Judges and Judicial Officers over this time.

Many of these Tribunals are now supported by stand-alone business units themselves, including the Planning Tribunal, now the Environment Court and the Waitangi Tribunal. Others still have been transferred to other agencies to support or have been disestablished including the Indecent Publications Tribunal (its functions being subsumed by the Office of Film, Video and Literature Classification), and the now abolished Fire Service Appeal Board, Public Service Appeal Authority and the Legal Aid Review Authority amongst others.

The Tribunals Division has also been responsible for the administrative support for Royal Commissions, Commissions and Courts of Inquiry covering a diverse range of societal issues.

It has also been responsible for supporting investigations into issues concerning commerce (the stock market) and events outside the normal purview of the courts and governmental investigatory bodies at that time, including major air crashes; Erebus, Foxpine and the Sounds Air crashes being but some of them.

Functions of the Tribunals Unit

This unit provides first class professional administrative, registry support and committee servicing to a wide range of tribunals, judicial officers and statutory bodies that do not form part of the Higher or District Court jurisdictions. Tribunals are an important part of the justice system. They provide the public with access to low cost, timely and specialist independent dispute resolution for particular types of disputes. They also provide efficient access to justice, reducing demand on court services. Often parties involved in proceedings do not require legal representation and in some jurisdictions a lawyer cannot appear even as an advocate for a party.

Most Tribunals travel throughout the country to hear cases where the dispute arose. Others are located in District Court’s (such as the Disputes and Tenancy Tribunals) and others don’t travel but consider written submissions only.

Administration

The Tribunals Unit is managed from Wellington with administrative offices in Auckland.

The Tribunals Unit is part of the Special Jurisdictions Group of the operations arm of the Ministry, which also includes Higher Courts, District Courts and Collections.

Locations

The Tribunals Unit’s three office contact details follow – with its main administrative office in Wellington:

Tribunals Unit
Level 1
AMP Building
86 Customhouse Quay
Wellington
Ph: (04) 462 6660
Fax: (04) 462 6686

and offices in Auckland:

Level 10 - District Court Building, Corner of Kingston and Albert Streets Auckland
Private Bag 92020 / DX CP 24004
Ph: (09) 916-9181
Fax: (09) 916-9806

and for the Weathertight Homes Tribunal in Auckland:

Level 8 – AA Centre, 99 Albert Street, Auckland
Private Bag 92535, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141
Phone: (09) 356 5650
Freephone: 0800 777 757
email to: WHTenquiries@justice.govt.nz

Decisions of the Tribunals

Decisions by some Tribunals are now available electronically and free of charge from the New Zealand Legal Information Institute.

This includes decisions of the:

• Customs Appeal Authority
• Social Security Appeal Authority and
• Taxation Review Authority.

Decisions of the Weathertight Homes Tribunal can be found here.

For copies of other decisions you should contact the Tribunals Unit directly. A small administrative fee may apply.