New Zealand prepares to move from Privy Council Appeals.
The bringing home of justice is seen as an important step in distancing countries from a colonial past and Australia, Malaysia, Canada and Hong Kong have all removed themselves from the system following independence. New Zealand is following suit.
New Zealand's Attorney-General Margaret Wilson has given her support to the Supreme Court Bill, which is designed to create a court of final appeal in New Zealand. Currently, New Zealand's court of final appeal is the Privy Council in London.
The bringing home of justice is seen as an important step in distancing countries from a colonial past and Australia, Malaysia, Canada and Hong Kong have all removed themselves from the system following independence.
The system is seen as having merit, in particular where there is a small population. The costs of maintaining a court of final appeal can be substantial.
However, New Zealanders complain that they are denied justice because the cost of having a case heard in London is far more than they can afford.
"Currently many New Zealanders simply cannot afford to take their case to the Privy Council, but with the final right of appeal in their own country they will be able to exercise their full appeal rights," said Wilson. "The Privy Council only hears about 11 appeals from New Zealand each year, but the new Supreme Court is expected to hear about five times this number."
Other benefits would be that the new court will be able to hear a much wider range of appeals than are at present heard at the Privy Council.
"It provides for an independent Supreme Court sitting above the Court of Appeal with its own judges and separate premises. The Chief Justice, as the head of the New Zealand judiciary, will head the court and normally be the presiding judge. Four other permanent judges will include one judge well-versed in tikanga Maori," Wilson says.
New Zealand says that there will be considerable cost savings and that the creation of a local court will recognise that there is sufficient depth of judicial talent within New Zealand.
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