The Gisborne branch president of the New Zealand Law Society says the appointment of a second judge will ease the workload of the “busy court”.
New Plymouth barrister and solicitor Haamiora Raumati has been appointed an Acting District Court Judge with a Family Court warrant to be based in Gisborne.
Mr Raumati has practised law in New Plymouth since his admission in 1995 and has worked for RMY Legal (formerly Reeves Middleton Young) since 1999. He was made a partner of that firm in 2002. Mr Raumati has experience in all areas of family law and is a lawyer for child and youth advocate .
Gisborne branch president Alison Bendall says circumstances now dictate that a second judge is necessary.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had two resident judges, about 15 years. Gisborne might be a small city but we’ve got a busy little court and we’ve needed to have extra resource, in particular in the District Court jurisdiction. Having a Family Court judge with a district and civil court warrants will mean that will happen,” she says.
“It is only relatively recently that it has been made known to the Ministry of Justice and the Chief District Court Judge that Gisborne really needed another resident judge. They’ve been efficient in arranging for another judge, which we are very grateful for,
“If you look at the size of the city it doesn’t necessarily reflect the workload’s going through the courts, and a lot of that depends on what matters are going through the court, and then how those matters are dealt with. Gisborne, in the criminal jurisdiction, does have a high volume of jury trials and judge-alone trials, which means a high number of case review hearings as well.”
Mr Raumati will be sworn in at New Plymouth on 3 April 2017 and is due to take up his position in Poverty Bay in May.
He is a keen sportsman and says, on the RMY Legal website, that he is proud to be the Honorary Solicitor for the Taranaki Rugby Football. He is also on the Board of Trustees for New Plymouth Boys’ High School.
"Working in the often complex field of relationship property law, including the buying and selling of properties and family trusts, is very rewarding but keeps me busy, so to unwind I love nothing more than surfing in the summer and snowboarding in the winter with my family,” he says.
He will join Judge Warren Paul Cathcart, who was sworn in as an Acting District Court Judge with a jury warrant to serve in the Gisborne District Court in August last year.