The four-stage regional implementation sequence is set to complete at the end of 2026
The justice ministry announced that the rollout of the Family Court digital case flow management system, Te Au Reka, would be delayed.
The four-stage regional implementation sequence was set to begin in July 2026. The rollout is expected to complete at the end of 2026.
The release commences in Christchurch and Ashburton. It covers the justice ministry’s contact centre and central registry to facilitate continuity of service.
The system will then be implemented in the southern region’s remaining courts including Nelson and Invercargill, as well as the courts in New Plymouth, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington, covering Chatham Islands.
Te Au Reka will then be released in the courts of Waikato, the Coromandel, Rotorua, Taupo and the Bay of Plenty before being implemented in the courts of Pukekohe and across Manukau and Auckland to Kaikohe.
The ministry confirmed that the solution build was in process. The training start dates and the dates of the solution’s availability would be confirmed later this year.
Once adopted by the Family Court, Te Au Reka will be rolled out in the District Court and the civil and criminal functions of the High Court in the second half of 2027. The third rollout phase, which is set to begin in 2028, covers the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, the Environment Court, Coroners Court and the Disputes Tribunal; it also includes the appeals function of the District Court and High Court.
Te Au Reka is a joint project initiated by the judiciary and the justice ministry. It aims to replace manual paper-based processes with a virtual case and court management system to limit the potential for harm, bolster court effectiveness, and aid access to justice.
It was among the judiciary’s four priority initiatives as laid out in chief justice Dame Helen Winkelmann’s Digital Strategy for the Courts and Tribunals of Aotearoa New Zealand, which was released in March 2023.
