Ministry of Justice

UPDATE 13 September 2022: Courts remain an essential service and will remain open despite the presence of COVID-19 in the community.

Courts and Tribunals have protocols(external link) that provide a framework for ensuring that everyone who needs to participate in proceedings is able to do so.

Entering a court building

Access to a court or tribunal will be denied to anyone who:

• is showing signs of illness, and tests positive to COVID-19 or:
• has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last seven days.

Health and Safety

There may be limits on the number of people not directly involved in proceedings who can be physically present in courtrooms and court buildings.

To protect the safety of all court participants and staff, the following health and safety measures can be expected if you are visiting a court:

• Every person in the public areas of a court building are encouraged to wear a surgicial or KN95 mask (or equivalent). A KN95 mask must be worn by all participants in hearings, if directed by the presiding judicial officer.
• Wash/sanitise your hands. Sanitiser is readily available throughout the buildings.

If you are due to attend court and are feeling unwell or have tested positive for COVID-19 within the last seven days, contact 0800 COURTS (0800 268 787). Find contact details for a court or tribunal.

For more information for court users, see: Information for all court and tribunal users.

COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020

The Chief District Court Judge has issued a practice note setting out the process for appeals to a public health order issued under section 11 of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020. The Practice Note containing the filing address and the Notice of Appeal Form are available here:

Practice Note - COVID-19 Public Health Response Act(external link)(external link)

Notice of Appeal Form  [PDF, 2.3 MB]

Information for service providers

What does the response to COVID-19 mean for the delivery of justice funded services?

Information about service delivery and operational requirements during the response to COVID-19 can be found on our information page.

Information on justice services and programmes

Legal Aid Services

Information on legal aid services response to COVID-19 can be found on What's new for legal aid lawyers.

Special sittings

Information on all court sittings or any special arrangements that may be necessary will be updated on our website or the Courts of New Zealand website:

Courts of New Zealand(external link)