Balclutha District Court arrangements updated

The Ministry of Justice has released an update on Balclutha District Court, which was closed in late November 2011 after engineering experts warned there was a high risk of partial or full collapse in a significant seismic event.

The ministry says seismic assessments have been conducted on alternative venues in the Balclutha community in order to hold family and civil hearings locally. It says it is waiting on a report before considering options further. Registry services continue to be offered at the Balclutha registry building next to the District Court, with hearings moved to Gore or Dunedin in the meantime.

Details of current arrangements for Balclutha court users are:

Matter	Arrangement
People in custody	Any person in custody will be dealt with in the Dunedin Combined Court on the date currently scheduled, unless earlier remanded by consent
Post	Send to existing DX: DX YX 10155 (diverted to Balclutha Registry Building where staff are based)
Telephone	Ring the existing mainline, (03) 419 0070
Fax	Use the existing fax number (03) 419 0073
Email	Send emails to balclutha.dc@justice.govt.nz
Filing of documents	Documents will be accepted for filing as normal.