It just got easier to find your local Justice of the Peace.
You can now search for your local Justice of the Peace online by visiting jpfed.org.nz.
Jpfed.org.nz was launched on Saturday 17 February 2001 during the annual Royal Federation of New Zealand Justices’
Association conference in Palmerston North, by the Hon. Paul Swain, Minister of Commerce, Communications and Information
Technology, and Associate Minister of Finance, Revenue, Energy, Justice, and Land Information.
A first in AsiaPacific, the idea for a website was initiated by Dr the Hon. Ian Shearer who saw the internet as the
perfect channel to provide the public with information about the services provided by New Zealand Justices of the Peace.
In 1999, Ian approached New Zealand’s leading professional publisher, Brooker’s, to assist in the development of
jpfed.org.nz. Since 1910, Brooker’s has led the way in delivering accurate, quality information, constantly striving for
better ways to deliver that information. They were one of the first to offer CD-Rom technology in the professional
publishing industry in New Zealand and have a growing range of practical online products and services available.
Brooker’s Managing Director, Neil Story, quickly became a strong advocate of the Justice of the Peace website, and has
continued to offer encouragement and support during the development phase. The Government has already made a strong
commitment to e-commerce, and is impressed with the level of support Brooker’s has been prepared to give to the Royal
Federation. This demonstrates Brooker’s commitment to developing professional communities on the web.
If you have internet access you can now find out what services Justices of the Peace offer, who your local Justice of
the Peace is and their contact details. You may need a marriage celebrant, someone to witness your signature, or perhaps
you are looking for someone to make a declaration for your student allowance, replacement drivers’ licence, or passport
application. These are all services your local Justice of the Peace can provide for you with.
As well as providing a useful information and directory service to the public, the website will also be used to provide
a regularly updated education package for all Justices to ensure that they continue to be fully up to date with changes
in legislation and related regulations. It will become the focal point for an exchange of views and ideas, and a source
of answers to the questions most often asked of Justices when carrying out their work.
Ends