The figures, released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act (OIA), reveal more than a quarter of that sum was devoted to covering security-staff shortages - caused by the industrial action - at the Invercargill, Gore and Dunedin District Courts.
From September 19, courts around the country took action which involved working to rule, lightning (short-notice) strikes and significantly reduced court sitting times.
"Eventually, on November 30, the ministry and Public Service Association (PSA) delegates reached an agreement including a 4% pay rise across the board over two years and an agreement to address other issues, including a commitment to creating a gender-pay-gap working group.
Ministry acting chief executive Carl Crafar acknowledged the negotiations were "difficult".
Extra security contractors had to be drafted in to bolster numbers throughout the period, particularly in Southern courts.
Invercargill and Gore District Courts were by far the most costly as the ministry shelled out $21,614 on filling the gaps; Dunedin was also in the top five most expensive.
Mr Crafar said it was due to the high proportion of security officers who participated in the industrial action.
"Private security was brought in where the number of court security officers involved in industrial action affected the courts' ability to provide a safe environment for our employees and the public," Mr Crafar said.
"There is a minimum number of security officers required to be on site for the ministry to provide a safe service."
PSA national secretary Glenn Barclay said it was evidence of the "strong solidarity" of the union's members, particularly in the South.
"A further sign of that solidarity was that on a national basis we experienced an overall growth in PSA membership at the Ministry of Justice of more than 20% between August and December," he said.
The gruelling disputes resulted in the Ministry of Justice incurring legal fees of $43,762, which also included an ill-fated trip to the Employment Court.
The ministry applied for an interim injunction to stop the lightning strikes over concerns about safety.
But that application was dismissed.
Mr Crafar said the funds to cover costs associated with the contract negotiations and industrial action came from the ministry's baseline budget.
