Court rules govern the way in which proceedings must be brought and dealt with. In the District Court and High Court, key rules include the District Court Rules 2014, High Court Rules 2016 and Criminal Procedure Rules 2012.
A number of the current rules are not suited to the digital processes envisaged by Te Au Reka. Changes to the rules are therefore required to enable Te Au Reka to be implemented in the District and High Courts.
We are seeking your input on areas of the court rules where changes may be required to enable the successful implementation of Te Au Reka in the District and High Courts. The engagement paper can be found here [PDF, 235 KB]. This paper was republished on 25 July 2025 with minor amendments to reflect updates to the court rules as amended by the High Court (Improved Access to Civil Justice) Amendment Rules 2025, High Court Amendment Rules 2025 and District Court Amendment Rules 2025, gazetted on 24 July 2025.
The paper covers rules within the scope of the Rules Committee. The Committee is a statutory body which is responsible for the rules of court procedure in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and District Court.
We welcome your input by Friday 15 August on:
Please send any email feedback to the Te Au Reka policy team at TeAuRekaPolicy@justice.govt.nz by Friday 15 August. Please also email us if you have any general queries about this consultation.
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