Complaints Process
How to complain about the conduct of Judges and how complaints are assessed.
Making a complaint
A complaint about a Judge's conduct can be made by email, letter or by using the form in this section.
Welcome
The Office of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner was established in August 2005 to receive and assess complaints about the conduct of Judges. The relevant legislation is the Judicial Conduct Commissioner and Judicial Conduct Panel Act 2004. It provides for a Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner.
The purpose of the Act is to:
- to enhance public confidence in the judicial system
- to protect the impartiality and integrity of the judicial system.
Complaints may be made against Judges of the various Courts set out in section 5 of the Act, including temporary, associate, and acting Judges but any complaint made about a retired or former Judge must be dismissed.
The Commissioner cannot challenge the legality or correctness of a Judge’s decision in relation to any legal proceedings.
Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners
The first Commissioner was Ian Haynes, ONZM, BA, LLB. He served from 2005 until 2009. Sir David Gascoigne KNZM, CBE, LLM served from 3 August 2009 until 30 August 2015.
Alan Ritchie, LLB became the first Deputy Commissioner in 2011 and took office as Commissioner on 31 August 2015. On the same date Kathryn Snook, BA, LLB commenced as Deputy Commissioner.
Both Mr Ritchie and Ms Snook have backgrounds as practising lawyers and as members and panel convenors of the Parole Board. Mr Ritchie was also Executive Director of the New Zealand Law Society from 1985 to 2008.
The Act
Follow the link to go directly to the Judicial Conduct Commissioner and Judicial Conduct Panel Act 2004 on www.legislation.govt.nz
Contact Us
Mail: PO Box 2661, Wellington
Email: judicialconduct@jcc.govt.nz
A message service operates at all times.
Phone: 0800 800 323, Fax: 04 472 6159
