Justice ministry notes that this is biggest, busiest courthouse in NZ
In a progress update regarding the Auckland District Court, New Zealand’s Ministry of Justice has announced that seismic strengthening efforts and service upgrades impacting the nine‑storey tower of the country’s biggest and busiest courthouse were close to completion.
According to a media release from the justice ministry, the Auckland District Court building has 35 courtrooms across around 28,000 square metres.
Per the justice ministry, with a $204m budget, the courthouse upgrade includes seismic strengthening and replacing the outdated heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical, lighting, and fire systems.
In its media release, the justice ministry shared that the scale and complexity made this refurbishment one of the most challenging courthouse projects the country has seen.
The justice ministry noted that the efforts to refurbish the courthouse commenced midway through 2024 and would likely wrap up in late 2028. The justice ministry added that the project’s next phase had begun with work on the court building’s five‑level base.
Dr Kelvin Watson, the justice ministry’s deputy secretary for corporate services, called this a milestone in refurbishing the courthouse.
“Keeping justice services running while we strengthen and modernise this building is no easy feat,” he said in the media release. “It has taken careful planning and extensive night works to ensure hearings can continue during the day while construction on the 13-storey building progresses behind the scenes.”
Watson explained that the upgrades seek to improve safety and reliability, make the courthouse a better place to work, and benefit court staff, judges, and members of the public.
“I want to acknowledge Crown Infrastructure Delivery (CID), which is planning and delivering this project for the Ministry as well as the main construction contractor LT McGuinness and the project team for achieving this milestone,” he said.
“This is one of the most complex infrastructure refurbishments currently underway in New Zealand, being delivered in a live operational setting so the court remains open,” said John O’Hagan, CID chief executive.
“CID’s partnership with the Ministry is sequencing works floor‑by‑floor and coordinating out‑of‑hours activity to minimise disruption and keep justice services operating,” he added in the justice ministry’s media release.
Previously, on 27 May 2025, the justice ministry announced the completion of remediation work to tackle a possibly critical seismic risk at the Nelson courthouse.
“The health and safety of all users of the courthouse remains a priority,” said Robert Loo, acting regional services manager, in the justice ministry’s prior media release.
Back then, the justice ministry explained that an initial seismic assessment recommended the installation of steel bracing as a precautionary measure for the building to perform better during earthquakes.
