Judicial Oversight; does it exist in New Zealand?

[courtwatcher]

I am concerned by recent trends which insulate judges against accountability. The Supreme Court decision in Attorney General v Chapman September of last year exempted judges from compliance and remedy under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Because New Zealand has no enforceable code of conduct for judges, the last bastion for accountability now lies in the Judicial Conduct Commissioner. Outside of the obvious statistic that none of the 600+ recorded complaints against judges has resulted in validating a complaint, I see on www.kiwisfirst.co.nz that the Commissioner is now dismissing complaints without even considering them on the basis he cannot be seen to challenge a judicial decision. Thank God we still have fishing. That reminds me - today is a good day.

[Beachedas]

the Commissioner is now dismissing complaints without even considering them on the basis he cannot be seen to challenge a judicial decision.

I've been down that road several years ago, its just a convenient diversion that allows the JCC to avoid tackling the real issue, which is not so much the decision,but the court ignoring proper procedure, statutory requirements,precedent and denying evidence. In my case, even though I could prove an outright lie by the Judge, it wasnt enough to earn him a rebuke from the JCC.