Mālō e lelei, Talofa lava, Kia orana, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Namaste, Ni sa bula, Halo olketa and warm Pacific greetings,
Our latest newsletter outlines recent Pacific Justice Sector Programme activities such as:
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April 2024 Newsletter [pdf]
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Tina Pope, PJSP Principal Advisor, and Delwyn Te Moni, PJSP Advisor Education and Development, recently spent two weeks in the Cook Islands where, with retired NZ Family Court Judge John Adams, they facilitated workshops with around 13 Justices of the Peace.
The first week of the programme was an orientation for new JPs, where they used the new, revised Cook Islands bench book for role play and exercises to practice court skills and evidence-based judging.
Guest speakers at the workshops included Assistant Rev. John Andrews, Senior JP Tangi Taoro, Hon. Mac Mokoroa, Minister of Justice, NZ High Commissioner to Cook Islands Tui Dewes, and PJSP’s own Tina Pope.
In her address to the group, Tina (pictured below in an "unofficial photo" with JPs is third from right, front row) acknowledged the role that Justices of the Peace play in “ensuring that people from their communities, including the most vulnerable, have access to an independent and fair justice system, and one which helps ensure their human rights”. There are around 40 Justices of the Peace in the Cook Islands.
While in Cook Islands, Tina and Delwyn also conducted needs analysis interviews with justices and met with various agencies such as the National Disability Council, Punanga Tauturu Women’s Centre, the Police Domestic Violence Unit, Ministry of Health Mental Health Service, Crown Law Office, the NZ High Commission, and the Law Society, among others.
Cook Islands News covered the JP workshops here.
