Judge O'Dwyer is transferring to Wellington after serving in Dunedin for nine years in the district, youth, and family courts.
Dunedin's court staff ensured it had some of the best statistics in New Zealand for efficiency.
The "unsung heroes of a successful court", did "all the work" organising and progressing cases, while "judges come and go", she said.
More broadly, Dunedin's justice and social systems worked well, with excellent co-operation between social workers, government agencies, health workers, lawyers, and entities such as Moana House.
Her interest in helping young people led her to serve as a trustee on the Otago Youth Wellness Trust for seven years.
She advocated intervention in childhood to prevent crime, and said social agencies were not sufficiently resourced for the critical prevention work.
There was a lot to be positive about, however, and she wished the public heard more about the successful cases.
New social work model Whanau Ora promised much in terms of "wrap-around" services.
She liked finding innovative sentences that played to people's strengths, and said it was possible to be creative, even in the district court.
She would like to see more reporting of the Family Court to increase awareness of why families sometimes broke down.
She believed the system could be adjusted so cases could be reported without compromising privacy.
Fascinating cases came before the court, such as international custody disputes, disability and mental health issues, and property disputes. Helping develop the Family Court system in Dunedin had been a highlight of her tenure.
In Wellington, she was likely to encounter a broader range of cases, including working with different ethnicities.
She looked forward to serving in two specialist family violence courts, in Porirua and Lower Hutt, as well as the youth, family and district courts.
"I know I will be a better judge by having the challenge of new ground.
"That's what we owe the community when we have the privilege of becoming a judge."
Her replacement is Judge Dominic Flatley, who moves to Dunedin from Invercargill next month.
