From the courtroom to the kitchen: Judges dish up a festive feast

Judges traded their robes for aprons in Christchurch to deliver holiday cheer instead of verdicts.

The 15 judges and community magistrates prepared Christmas lunch for the Salvation Army on their community engagement day.

District Court Executive Judge Stephen O’Driscoll said the annual event was about showing the public judges are “real people”.

They spent four hours last Friday making a typical Christmas lunch of roast lamb, ham, chicken and vegetables with pavlova for dessert.

The group paid for the lunch out of their own pockets

“Of everyone who comes to court, most don’t want to be there. This helps us connect with the community and helps people see another side of us,” said O’Driscoll.

It was the fifth community engagement day. In past years, the judges toured youth justice facilities, rehabilitation centres and prisons which they have sentenced people to. 

O’Driscoll said the group worked well as a kitchen team.

Judge Katie Elkin and Associate Judge Rebecca Murphy were in charge of making the pavlovas.

“Hopefully stuff like this humanises us a bit. Often we’re only seen sending people to prison,” Elkin said.

Judge Paul Kellar, on meat cooking duty, said the engagement day was about breaking down barriers.

“This is a nicer occasion in some ways than past events. We’re actually doing something active instead of just visiting somewhere.”

O’Driscoll said the event also helped bring the judges together as a team, as they often do not spend much time with each other.