Dannevirke Courthouse temporarily closed for asbestos removal

“The asbestos removal will be completed following strict safety protocols, and the roof replaced to enable normal operations to resume as quickly as possible,” Watson said. 

Arrangements during closures

“We are informing justice sector partners and the legal profession about the planned mix of local and remote service arrangements while we get this issue sorted,” Watson said in the justice ministry’s media release. 

The justice ministry stated that it intends to manage any disruption to court services with care. According to the justice ministry, during the closures: 

• No judicial court sittings will be set while the courthouse remains shuttered 
• The court registrar will attend to first court appearances at the nearby police station 
• Court staff will halt in-person counter services and will work remotely, able to be contacted through email 
• Court users can file physical documents via a drop box, cleared twice daily, outside the courthouse 
• As usual, court users can avail of certain justice services online through the justice ministry’s website, including to pay fines, apply for criminal record checks, and find information regarding going to court 
• Local justices of the peace can be found online via the Royal Federation of NZ Justice’s Associations or through the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Dannevirke Community Library 

“Access to justice for court participants, whānau and the local community remains a priority,” Watson said. 

The justice ministry noted that the Dannevirke District Court hears a small number of Family Court, criminal, and civil matters.