Court Registry Officer - Palmerston North District Court | Manawatu/Whanganui

Job Description

Te Haeata/The Opportunity

As a Court Registry Officer, you will work with a team responsible for the successful operation of the Court. You will liaise with multiple stakeholders including defendants, witnesses, family members, Oranga Tamariki, Lawyers, and Police Officers. You will able to communicate confidently with Judges within the courtroom and their chambers, as well as other members of the judiciary.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Court Taking – this is the facilitating the running of the court. This includes introducing Judges (in English and Te Reo Maori), working closely with them in the Courtroom and Chambers, managing jurors and general administration of the court.
• Customer Service – all courts have an onsite Customer Service area or hub that customers can access for any court related matter. You will work to answer customer queries via face to face, phone or email interactions.
• Case Management – this involves ensuring files are accurate and up to date. This part of the role involves a large component of data entry.

Ō pūkenga/Skills and Experience

No candidate will meet every single desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we have outlined and believe you can bring value to the role, we'd love to hear from you!

You will need to be:

• Detail orientated and observant – the court has many different processes and case information needs to be accurate.
• Self-aware – you'll understand our customers and will be confident working across a range of situations.
• Multi-task – you'll understand that some of our processes are repetitive, but you'll be able to manage conflicting priorities and move from one task to another quickly.
• Willing to learn – legislation and processes in the courts is always changing and you will be able to adapt and respond to feedback.
• Resilience – there are times when working in the courts, you will be working on sensitive cases and sometimes at high volume.

Mō mātou/About us

At Te Tāhū o te Ture - the Ministry of Justice, we're committed to strengthening people's trust in the law of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Creating a continuous learning environment is important to us. As the successful applicant, you will bring your thirst for knowledge and improvement. You will have an individual training plan and be supported to carry out the role including be able to exercise Deputy Registrar Powers. 

As an organisation we support our people with building their wellbeing knowledge and understanding offering a range of wellbeing tools and support.

Joining Te Tāhū o te Ture means you will become part of an organisation that welcomes and supports people of all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, disabilities and religions. 

Utu ā-tau/Salary

The remuneration band for this role is $60,729 to $80,794. The appointing salary for this role will be between $60,729 and $64,451 based on skills and experience. 

Tono mai/How to Apply

To apply, click the Apply button below to be directed to our Careers Website. You can view a detailed position description here, as well as complete an online application form by attaching your CV and cover letter.

Applications close on 22 March 2026, however we will be reviewing CVs as they come in and inviting successful candidates to interview before the close date.

If you have any questions, please contact recruitment@justice.govt.nz.

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