Annual Reports
Foreword by the Chair
This report gives an account of the activities of the Institute of Judicial Studies for the reporting period 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 and indicates what the year ahead has in store.
On 1 July 2008 the Institute of Judicial Studies will celebrate 10 years of delivering education programmes to judges. The Institute was an initiative of the judiciary established on 1 July 1998 at a time when many members of the public and the profession took the view that newly appointed judicial officers entered work on the bench fully equipped with the skills that they needed. The judiciary itself responsibly indicated that this was not the case and worked with the then Department for Courts to establish a permanent educational resource for judges that recognised that professional development was a significant element in judicial performance.
That resource has developed today into a thriving organisation delivering a core curriculum of programmes to keep judges up to date and abreast of changes in the law, the social context in which they work and the skills needed in this changing environment. Judicial officers have enthusiastically embraced these educational opportunities. The establishment of the Institute has enabled judicial practices to develop with input from judges from all courts and all benches. This inter bench dialogue has been a significant ingredient in the success of the Institute.
The year under review has seen the consolidation of the orientation programmes available to new judges and an expansion of the core curriculum delivered to all judicial officers. Recently the Governing Board has turned its attention to the needs of longer serving judges who may have a career of 20 years. It has recognised that the education needs that arise later in a career are different and unique. The development of programmes for that group of judges is one of the Board's priorities over the coming year. The other priorities are to provide judges with the tools to deal with, the increasingly diverse society they serve and a te reo tuition strategy that will enable judges to develop language skills relevant to the courtroom and appropriate to the status of Te Reo Maori being an official language of New Zealand.
An ongoing challenge for the Board is to continue to meet the needs expressed by judges. Although the number of programmes continues to grow, applications for those programmes continue to outstrip the resources available to deliver them. Each year it becomes increasingly difficult to initiate new developments and a focus for the Board is to explore ways to increase the education opportunities for judges.
I take this opportunity at the 10 year anniversary of the Institute to acknowledge the two Board Chairs who led the development of judicial education for most of those 10 years. They are The Hon Justice Tom Gault and the Hon Justice Judith Potter. Their contribution has led to the creation of a thriving organisation, which is supported and appreciated by the entire judiciary. Significant also has been the input of many judges, often behind the scenes, who have shouldered responsibility for the Institute's programmes and publications. I would also like to acknowledge the vital role of the Institute's director, Richard Moss, and the various staff members who have supported him over the years. The success of the Institute has also been the result of a cooperative effort supported by the Institute's staff and the Ministry of Justice who have provided ongoing assistance in the administration of the Institute.
Justice Susan Glazebrook
Chair, Governing Board
Available Documents
Annual Report 2007 - 2008 [ PDF 121KB ]
[ back to top ]