Presenter: Various
Course Organiser: John Burrows, Howard Harvey, Paul Fitzharris
26 Jun: John Burrows, Emeritus Professor Law on ‘The Court Systems and their Structure’
John’s presentation will be in four parts:
What are the Court’s functions, and what is meant by saying their main function is to apply the law?
What are measures taken by the law to enhance trust and confidence of the community in the court system?
Discussion will follow on the problems and challenges faced by the system which can undermine the public respect for the courts. For example, there are some serious issues for access to justice. Delay and cost are prominent among them.
Finally, John will outline several major projects aimed at addressing these issues, including the work by many tribunals which deal with matters which would otherwise clog up the courts.
3 Jul: Judge Tony Couch, recently retired District Court Judge on ‘A District Court Judge’
Tony will talk about the District Court. He will first discuss the origin and development of what began as the Magistrates Court and became the District Court. It will include a brief outline of the role of each of the several parts of the court today. He will then look at the role of the District Court in the overall judicial system, including discussion of the number and nature of cases dealt with and each aspect of the District Court compared to other courts. Finally, Tony will trace the stages in the various steps along the different paths a criminal case may take through the District Court from charge to disposition.
10 Jul: Richard McElrea, retired Coroner on “The Coroner’s Role”
Richard is a retired coroner and lawyer. He was a part-time coroner in Christchurch 1993-2007 and full-time from 2007 until his retirement in 2015. Richard carried out many hundreds of inquests and inquiries over his time as coroner. He was part of a group of coroners who made submissions to The Law Commission before the major reforms of the Coroners Act 2006. He has an interest in the history of the Office of Coroner including the early colonial period of the 19th century.
Richard will speak about the history and duties of a coroner including the types of death referred to a coroner, the processes involved, the difference between an inquiry and an inquest, followed by the handling of findings.
17 Jul: Stephen Henbrow, Barrister, who has extensive experience in Criminal and Family Law on ‘The Role of a Defence Barrister’
Stephen is a practicing Barrister in Christchurch and has a lengthy history in the Courts having graduated in 1977. He initially practiced law in Greymouth and moved to Christchurch in 1988. Stephen specialises in Criminal and Family law. He has conducted many District and High Court jury trials and regularly appears in the Court of Appeal. Recent cases include serious sexual offences, murder, serious drug and violence matters and complex fraud.
Stephen will answer the question, “Is the court system fair to defendants?”
24 Jul: Moana Cole, Youth Advocate and Criminal Barrister on “The Youth Court”
Moana will explore the following questions in her presentation:
Is our criminal justice system too soft on youth offenders?
Why is there a separate legal process for young people?
What does the evidence tell us about how best to deal with youth who commit crimes?