The waiting time for defendants to go to trial in the Queenstown District Court has more than doubled in the past three years.
Figures released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act reveal the average waiting time for a judge-alone trial in the resort climbed from four months in 2013 to more than nine months last year.
That compares with a 10% rise in waiting times in district courts nationally over the same period.
The figures lend credence to claims by Queenstown barrister Liam Collins in June that many defendants facing criminal charges are choosing to plead guilty when told about the long wait, even when they believe they are innocent.
Issues such as the memory of witnesses meant delays could jeopardise fair trials.
The resort does not have a resident judge, but instead is covered by a visiting circuit judge from Invercargill.
Mr Collins told the ODT yesterday the figures included cases when the defendant pleaded guilty, so the actual waiting time for most defendants was longer than a year.
The delays were being driven by the district’s rapidly rising population and visitor numbers, and the Ministry of Justice needed to address the issue.
One answer was to have a full-time judge assigned to the Queenstown and Alexandra courts, or have judges spend a month or longer in the resort at a time to tackle the backlog, he said.
"There has to be something done so people aren’t left effectively to pleading guilty to avoid a delay."
Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams told the ODT last month that Queenstown’s court manager had told her she wanted more judge time.
But Ms Adams said she did not control how many judges there were or where they were used.
Those decisions were the responsibility of Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue, and she had asked the Ministry to talk to Judge Doogue about whether a review of judge time in the resort was needed.
Ms Adams said court waiting times were determined by a "three-legged stool" consisting of her, as minister, judges and lawyers, and they all had a part to play in tackling the issue.
Judge Doogue declined to be interviewed, but in an emailed statement said she was constantly reviewing the deployment of judges.
"We try to do the best with the resources we have, but some matters will always take priority, especially where people’s safety may be at risk, such as family violence and child care and protection cases."
She would not say if she was reviewing Queenstown’s judge time.
In June, Judge Doogue told RNZ the resourcing of district courts, and any reform that might reduce court delays, were a matter for the Government.
Mr Collins said Ms Adams and Judge Doogue "seem to be pointing the finger at each other".
As a member of the criminal bar he had a responsibility to speak out against potential rights abuses.
"But I’m not criticising anybody. I’m just trying to get more judge time available for people here."
