Media Release 7th December 2012

Dargaville community protests court closure

A community demonstration to protest against the closure of the local court will take place on Monday 10 December at 12.15pm outside the court house in Dargaville.

Local JP, Rod Sudlow, says the demonstration will express the community’s concern about the closing of the court house and using the facility as a hearing centre only.

“This is not about savings to the rate payer. This is a measure which is supposed to improve access to justice but locally we cannot see how that will happen,” he says.

Mr Sudlow says the costs will be shifted to police, JPs and the community.

“It seems everyone but the courts know that you cannot rely solely on call centres and the internet.”

Graeme Ramsey, Kaipara’s representative on the Northland Regional Council, says the closure of the court house represents ‘death by a thousand cuts for rural New Zealand’.

“This signals the eventual removal of court services completely from our community. We want justice to be present in our town not just punishment. We don’t want to see the ongoing withdrawal of services from rural communities such as ours,” he says.

The community will present a 1,000 signature petition to be taken to Wellington for tabling in Parliament.

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