Judge Michelle Howard-SagerJudge Howard-Sager (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāpuhi), who also sits in the adult criminal court, joined the bench in 2020 just as New Zealand and the rest of the world went into COVID-19 lockdowns.
“It has been stop and start since then but in 2023 it felt like the court was back in a rhythm.”
The satisfaction of Family Court work for her comes from achieving good outcomes for tamariki and whānau. In court, she tries to make participants feel at ease and to leave feeling as if they have been heard and have understood the proceedings, even if the outcome wasn’t what they wanted.
“You can tell from their body language, the way they are nodding – they have got it.”
Te Ao Mārama – Enhancing Justice for All is beginning to be introduced in the Far North and she relishes solution-focused approaches. “It’s like detective work – what do we need to do to stop this person coming back before the court?”
Respect for those who come to court is a key ingredient for Judge Howard-Sager. “You don’t have to step on anyone’s mana to get your point across.”
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