Office of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner

Guidelines

Please read these Guidance Notes carefully

You may set out your complaint in a letter, email or use the form.
Under the Judicial Conduct Commissioner and Judicial Conduct Panel Act 2004 (the Act) a complaint about the conduct of a Judge must be made to the Commissioner.
Section 13 of the Act provides that the complaint must:
- be in writing
- identify the Judge who is the subject of the complaint
- identify the complainant
- state the subject matter of the complaint.

In certain cases the Commissioner may require you to complete a statutory declaration about your complaint.

Please make sure the information provided is complete and accurate.
Please describe the circumstances and judicial conduct leading to your complaint in the Details of Complaint section. Clearly set out dates and places of hearing if these are relevant to the complaint, including, where relevant, the time and courtroom number. List all events in the order in which they occurred. Attach additional relevant documents or papers, as needed, to complete your complaint.
Send the complaint to the Commissioner's office at the address below.
The Commissioner may be able to give assistance in the completion of your complaint. If you need assistance, please contact the Commissioner's office.
Under section 14 of the Act, the Commissioner must notify the Judge concerned of your complaint and may send a copy of the complaint to the Judge.
The Act states that it is not a function of the Commissioner to call into question the legality or correctness of any instruction, direction, order, judgment, or other decision of a judge in any legal proceedings. Those matters fall outside the jurisdiction of the Commissioner.

You may download this form, print it out, and either scan and email it, mail it or fax it to the Office of the Judical Conduct Commissioner.

Please be sure you read the guidelines before you fill in the form.

email: judicialconduct@jcc.govt.nz
Fax: 04 472 6159
Mail: Office of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner
PO Box 2661
Wellington