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Expressions of Interest are invited from suitably qualified persons who wish to be considered for appointment as a Judge of the Employment Court. The position will be a Wellington based role.
To be appointed to the Employment Court a candidate must have held a practising certificate as a barrister or solicitor for at least seven years or otherwise qualify for appointment under section 200 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
The position will suit someone with a particular interest in, and knowledge of, New Zealand’s employment law.
The criteria for judicial appointment includes:
sound knowledge of the law and experience of its application
qualities of character such as personal honesty and integrity, impartiality, good judgment, and independence
aware of, and sensitive to, the diversity of modern New Zealand society
ability to assist persons to resolve litigation other than by judgment
highly developed oral and written communication skills
litigation and/or hearing management experience
ability to absorb and analyse complex and competing factual and legal material
ability to work hard, efficiently and under pressure
aware of the special characteristics of employment relationships.
The close off for expressions of interest is by 4:00pm Friday 23 October 2026.
If you wish to register your interest in appointment, you can fill in this form:
All expressions of interest will be handled with the highest degree of confidentiality.
Appointment to the Disputes Tribunal
The Disputes Tribunal is currently seeking expressions of interest for the role of Referee in the following regions:
WELLINGTON
INVERCARGILL
ROTORUA
PALMERSTON NORTH
HAMILTON
The Disputes Tribunal is a division of the District Court that hears civilclaimsuptoavalueof$60,000.00.The jurisdiction of the Tribunal includes contract, commercial, consumer and property damage claims.Referees are appointed as judicial officers by warrant from the Governor- General on the advice of the Associate Minister of Justice.Most Referees begin by sitting between 2-4 days a week.The role is able to be part time or full time.
Refereesconduct hearings either remotely or in a hearing room at the District Court.During the hearing, the Referee may facilitate a resolution, or if this is not possible, provide a written decision on the matter.This decisionhasthe statusofaDistrictCourtorder.Asajudicial officer working in a Tribunal setting, you would need to have strong legal and analytical abilities,hold relevant qualifications in law, mediation or arbitration, and enjoy working with people from all walks of life to help them resolve their differences.Full training is provided.Referees are paid $980.00 per sitting day.
Successful candidates will show abilities in listening, assessing information, making decisions, relating to a wide variety of people, responding sensitively to cultural differences, expressing themselves clearly, and be able to engage in alternative ways of resolving disputes.ARefereealsoneedstoshowcommonsenseandpracticaljudgementandmustbeableto act with fairmindedness and impartiality.The criteria for assessment are set out in R38 of the Disputes Tribunal Rules 1989.
To begin the application process, please send an expression of interest to disputestribunal@justice.govt.nz.An application pack will then be sent to you.All completed applications need to be returned to the same email address by 5:00pm on Tuesday, 24 November 2026.