COURT AND TRIBUNAL HOURS – DECEMBER 2025 & JANUARY 2026

Courts and tribunals will be closed during the holiday period. Reopening dates vary, starting from Monday 5 January 2026, with all locations open by Monday 19 January 2026. Confirmed dates for each location are below.

If you have any questions, call 0800 COURTS (0800 268 787).

District Courts

Hearing Courts

Family Court

Mental Health

Arrest Courts

Electronically Monitored Bail applications

Urgent Harmful Digital Communications Act applications

Directions from Chief District Court Judge [PDF, 308 KB]

Special Order from Chief District Court Judge [PDF, 476 KB]

District Court

Auckland, Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gisborne, Greymouth, Hamilton, Hastings, Hutt Valley, Invercargill, Levin, Manukau, Masterton, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, North Shore, Palmerston North, Papakura, Porirua, Queenstown, Rotorua, Tauranga, Timaru, Waitakere, Wellington, Whakatane, Whanganui, Whangārei:

Ashburton, Dannevirke Hāwera, Huntly, Kaikohe, Kaitāia, Morrinsville, Pukekohe, Taihape, Taumarunui, Taupō, Thames, Tokoroa, Wairoa:

Alexandra, Gore, Westport:

Hearing Courts

Chatham Islands, Dargaville, Kaikōura, Marton, Newmarket, Oamaru, Ohakune, Ōpōtiki, Ruatōria, Te Awamutu, Te Kūiti, Waihi, and Waipukurau:

Family Court

Family Courts will provide a national service for urgent applications over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Urgent applications will all be dealt with via the National eDuty platform. Court staff and duty judges have been allocated to deal with applications on the following days:  

All urgent Family Court applications are required to be submitted to the registry by 2.00pm (exception 12pm on 24 December) on the days above in order for them to be processed. Any applications received after that time will be considered the following court day.

The process for urgent Family Court applications will go back to normal on Monday 5 January 2026.

Mental health

Judges will be available to deal with any applications made to the Family Court for a review of a patient’s condition, section 16 of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992.

Arrest courts

Any persons arrested over this period will be brought to the nearest available court for the initial appearance before a Judge, Community Magistrate or Justice of the Peace. “Arrested” includes those arrested on new charges, on warrant or for breach of bail.

If bail is sought and it is not within jurisdiction of the judicial officer presiding at the first appearance, then any remand in custody (unless there is consent otherwise) must be adjourned to the next working day. This will allow the bail application to be dealt with via AVL from the prison (or police station) to the nearest, or most convenient, court where a judge is rostered to sit.

Electronically Monitored Bail applications

The EM Admin team will be processing the applications throughout the Christmas and holiday period (only being closed on statutory holidays). Applications filed after 2 December (or 9 December in the Youth Court) may be scheduled for hearing from 12 January 2026 subject to hearing time and counsel availability. Please ensure the EM Bail Team is advised of any such adjournments over the holiday period so arrangements can be made for potential installations of equipment as early as possible.

If there are any queries regarding the above time frames, please don't hesitate to contact the Electronically Monitored Bail Team, on 0800EMBAIL or EMTeamAdmin@corrections.govt.nz

Urgent Harmful Digital Communications Act applications

Judges will be available to deal with any urgent applications filed under the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 (HDCA) during the Christmas and New Year period.