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Strengthening court safety: update on the Judicial Forum
Strengthening court safety: update on the Judicial Forum
Work to improve health, safety and security in courthouses across Aotearoa New Zealand is progressing, bringing more consistency, greater awareness and the same important message, particularly to members of the legal profession – to be aware of the risks specific to the location you are attending.
Safe, secure court environments are essential to the effective and orderly administration of justice and support the wellbeing of judicial officers, court staff, lawyers, court participants, and visitors.
Just over a year ago the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice, along with representatives from the legal profession, joined forces to establish a Judicial Forum under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Chief Justice and the Secretary for Justice.
The Forum aims to strengthen shared understanding of health, safety and security responsibilities, improve practices and guidance, and support consistent approaches to keeping safe across all court environments.
It provides a structured mechanism to engage on health, safety, and security matters and is supported by an operational working group.
Progress of the Judicial Forum
Under the MoU, the Forum has ongoing oversight of an agreed work programme to support continuous improvement in health, safety, and security.Work progressed by the Forum to date includes:
developing judicial education resources on health, safety, and security in the courtroom;
production of a cross-jurisdictional court health, safety and security booklet providing practical guidance and explaining the key requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015; and
a series of court visits, taking Forum members through what security looks like day-to-day to better understand how risks are managed across the court environment.
The importance of local inductions
While courts operate within a national framework, risks can differ. Each courthouse differs in layout, security arrangements, escape routes, and safe zones.
Local, site-specific security inductions are a critical tool to keep those working at court safe. They improve situational awareness and support people to know what to do and where to go if issues arise.
The Ministry strongly encourages members of the legal profession to complete a local security induction for every court they appear in and to attend induction refreshers regularly. To book an induction, contact the local Court Security Team.
Shared Ownership of Safety Health, safety, and security in court environments relies on shared ownership. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, lawyers have an obligation to take reasonable care of their own safety and ensure their actions do not put others at risk.
In practice, this includes:
remaining alert to emerging risks or escalating behaviour;
raising concerns early with court security or registry staff;
complying with reasonable site‑specific security instructions; and
engaging proactively with hearing‑specific risk management.
Court security staff are available on site to support this shared effort and to advise on risks or controls where needed. Early engagement allows risks to be identified and managed before they escalate.
Looking Ahead
The Judicial Forum will continue to progress this work, with a focus on practical education, clarity of responsibilities, and consistent safety practices across courts. A strong, shared commitment to safety supports confidence in the justice system and enables everyone who works in and attends court to do so safely.