Mr Power told TVNZ's Q+A programme yesterday: "I believe what we're seeing is the system being badly incentivised, particularly around legal aid, to encourage multiple appearances on issues that should be dealt with in a short and timely way at first appearance ... this 'gaming' of the criminal justice system has got to stop."
He proposes that trials by judges alone should be allowed for anyone facing charges punishable by fewer than three years in prison.
At present, only those facing sentences of less than three months are dealt with by judges only.
The minister also seeks a crackdown on defendants not appearing for trial, saying more should be convicted in their absence than allowed at present.
Mr Power believes his proposals would reduce the backlogged system by 1000 trials each year.
However, Anthony Rogers, president of the Criminal Bar Association, told the Herald last night he believed the minister had been misinformed.
He said the overbooking of courts and the "slow and inadequate" way in which police officers provided disclosure [evidence including police case notes and witness statements] was more to blame for any delays.
Mr Rogers said police "almost routinely ignored" requests for disclosure.
Courts were being deliberately overbooked in the expectation some cases would not proceed, he said.
Police were also "overcharging" defendants and it took repeated appearances for charges to be agreed to, using means such as plea-bargaining.
New Zealand Law Society spokesman Jonathan Krebs said any changes to the system needed to be widely debated.
Like many lawyers spoken to by the Herald yesterday, Mr Krebs said a defendant's right to a fair trial had to remain at the heart of debate.
He called for the names of any lawyers believed to be "gaming" the system, because it was against the code of conduct and could bring disciplinary action.
"It's almost tantamount to fraud," Mr Krebs said.
Prominent defence lawyer Gary Gotlieb said it was always better for 12 people on a jury to make decisions on a defendant's charges than a single judge whose views may have become entrenched in the legal system or "cynical" during years as a lawyer.
Mr Gotlieb said the Bill of Rights might need to be appealed if Mr Power's proposals went ahead.
The Criminal Disclosure Bill, which aims to make the court system more efficient by reducing processes such as deposition hearings, is intended to ease the workload on courts when it comes into force on July 1.
