Judicial Conduct Commissioner and Judicial Conduct Panel Act 2004

Complaints about Judges

13: How to complain

You could also call this:

"Making a complaint about a Judge: what you need to do"

Illustration for Judicial Conduct Commissioner and Judicial Conduct Panel Act 2004

You can complain about a Judge by writing to the Commissioner. You must include the Judge's name, your name, and what your complaint is about. The Commissioner might ask you to fill out a special form to make your complaint official. You can get help from the Commissioner to make your complaint. They will assist you to make sure you have all the necessary information. This help is available if you want to make a complaint. If the Commissioner starts the complaint process, these rules do not apply.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM293594.

This page was last updated on 11 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Crime and justice > Courts and legal help

12: Who may complain, or

"Who can complain about a Judge's behaviour?"

14: Commissioner must acknowledge complaint and deal with it promptly, or

"The Commissioner must reply to your complaint and sort it out quickly."

13How to complain

A complaint about a Judge must be made to the Commissioner and—
be in writing; and
identify the Judge who is the subject of the complaint; and
identify the complainant; and
state the subject matter of the complaint.

The Commissioner may require a complainant to complete a statutory declaration setting out the matters in subsection (1)(b) to (d).
The Commissioner must give reasonable assistance to any person who wishes to make a complaint to assist that person to meet the requirements of this section.
Subsections (1) to (3) do not apply to a complaint initiated by the Commissioner.