Previous updates
In this section you will find previous updates about Te Au Reka.
March 2026 Update
The dates for the rollout of Phase 1 of Te Au Reka (Family Court jurisdiction) throughout the country are still being considered.
Late last year the programme team identified that the design and build of the more complex requirements of the Family Court process was taking more time than estimated. While the programme is well advanced – focused on a robust build, thorough testing and tailored training plans – we are working through the final detail to ensure we can provide certainty about the timing of the rollouts for Phase 1.
We expect to be able to announce this in late April or early May.
December 2025 Update
We had previously indicated we would be announcing the new rollout date for Phase 1 of Te Au Reka (Family Court jurisdiction, Contact Centre and Central Registry) in December 2025. The programme is still working on the new delivery date and the announcement will now be in March 2026, when we are further through testing the solution.
Te Au Reka is large and sophisticated programme, and it’s taking time to design and build the system to meet some of the more complex requirements of the court process.
The functionality built to date is good, and early demonstrations and business testing has been received positively. We’re focusing on robust build, thorough testing and designing our training.
By March 2026, we’ll be able to give firmer timeframes on training and rollout for Phase 1. We are starting to gather all the information that informs the detailed design work for Phase 2 (Civil and Criminal jurisdictions), which will start in early 2026.
November 2025 Update
A demonstration of the new digital Te Au Reka ePortal was shown at the recent New Zealand Law Society CLE Family Law Conference in Auckland.
The 460 attendees heard about Te Au Reka’s progress, what it will mean for the profession, and how they will be supported to use the solution. They saw a case file in the ePortal and the dashboard that shows a lawyer what’s happening across their cases. When available, the ePortal will be accessed through the Ministry of Justice, Courts of New Zealand and other websites.
Te Au Reka will be used by the judiciary, lawyers and court staff to manage cases. The public will also be able to use the ePortal, giving them more choice about how they interact with courts and tribunals.
You can view the ePortal demonstration: Lawyer User ePortal video(external link)(external link) (4:08mins). We will publish more updates and demonstrations for all users as they become available.