3 September 2006
Internet Access to Judicial Decisions
Decisions from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Courts are now available free of charge on the Internet,
Courts Minister Rick Barker announced today.
"Judicial Decisions Online is a permanent, comprehensive reference library of judicial decisions that are not subject to
some form of legal prohibition, said Rick Barker.
“Having court judgments available over the Internet will make it easier for the public to have access to the law and the
work of the courts” said Rick Barker.
"Gross underinvestment into the justice sector through the 1990's led to a review of baseline funding in 2004. As a
result we invested $59 million on upgrading IT infrastructure and capability, and embarked on a three-year programme of
review and service improvement.
"The establishment of Judicial Decisions Online is a direct result of the significant investment this Labour-led
Government has made in IT in the justice sector. Other initiatives include Mäori Land Online, Evidence Recording & Transcription, Appeal Management System (Supreme Court & Court of Appeal) and Tenancy Tribunal Online.
“These initiatives are all helping to ensure our judicial processes are open and understandable," said Rick Barker.
The Judicial Decisions Online database currently holds over 2000 selected judgments from the Higher Courts with new
judgments being added daily.
Judicial Decisions Online provides decisions from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Courts. Over time other
jurisdictions, such as the District Court, Employment Court and the Environment Court, will be added.
Judicial Decisions Online is available at www.justice.govt.nz
ENDS