Questions on courts’ future

Refurbishing old courthouses, such as those in Dunedin and Oamaru, is worthy but such fit outs should be done with the needs of future court users in mind, a University of Otago researcher says.

Dunedin’s 1902 courthouse reopened earlier this year after extensive earthquake-proofing work, and the historic court building in Oamaru reopened last week after similar upgrades.

Otago’s Legal Issues Centre is co-ordinating a range of  research projects under the banner of "Aotearoa’s Future Courts."

Parallel to a Law Foundation-funded project examining whether New Zealand should put more court services online, Dr Jane Adams is investigating the history of court architecture in New Zealand.

A judge-led committee on courthouse design was established in 1992, and was followed by Law Commission report on court design.

Dr Adams is examining who else gets a say on how courts look, and the underlying assumptions and ideals about the role of space and place in New Zealand’s court system.

"Courts need to meet the needs of all users - not just the judges or the lawyers but also the public and witnesses," Dr Adams said.

"Sometimes it’s simple things, like a lack of toilets ...  but we need to consider whether it is right to pour money into old buildings to keep them running as courthouses when things like new developments in audio visual technology and the possibility of future online courts raises questions about how suitable these buildings will be 20 to 30 years from now.

"Things like the dais with the judge up on high do make a statement about power relationships, but the tension is that spaces need to be functional and people need to feel safe in them."

Dr Adams is an historian, as well as a lawyer, and has a love of old buildings, but said they also needed to still be fit for purpose - citing the ongoing debate about whether or not to revamp Hamilton’s old courthouse.

"It’s not that I don’t appreciate the buildings - far from it. It’s more about their suitability as a working courthouse."

The other end of the spectrum - Christchurch’s new justice precinct, which has modular furniture and court rooms which can altered depending on need - raised its own questions, Dr Adams said.

"It means you don’t have a high court room sitting empty for days, so it is a more efficient use of space, but there are still people who would say to imbue respect for the law, the architecture does need to make a grand statement - a sentiment which came to the fore in the save the Dunedin courthouse campaign."

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz