The Minister of Justice (in
Māori: ''Tāhū o te Ture'') is a
minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
in the government of New Zealand. The minister has responsibility for the formulation of justice policy and for the administration of law courts.
The current Minister of Justice is
Kiri Allan.
History
The first Minister of Justice was appointed in 1870. This was followed in 1872 by the creation of the Department of Justice.
The
Attorney-General is responsible for supervising New Zealand law and advising the Government on legal matters, and has ministerial jurisdiction over the Crown Law Office and the Parliamentary Counsel Office. The position is separate from that of 'Minister of Justice', though the two positions have sometimes been held by the same person, e.g.
Geoffrey Palmer (1984 to 1989).
Responsibility for the police has never technically belonged to the Minister of Justice ''per se''. Originally, the
Minister of Defence was responsible. During the early 20th century, however, it became established that the person serving as Minister of Justice was also the minister in charge of the police. This continued until the election of the
First Labour Government
The first MacDonald ministry of the United Kingdom lasted from January to November 1924. The Labour Party, under Ramsay MacDonald, had failed to win the general election of December 1923, with 191 seats, although the combined Opposition tall ...
in 1935, when responsibility for the police became detached – the
Minister of Police was eventually established as a full ministerial post in 1969.
In 1995, the Department of Justice was split into three parts – a Ministry of Justice would deal with policy matters, while the practical administration of the court system and the prison system would be given their own departments. This resulted in the creation of two new ministerial portfolios – Minister of Court and Minister of Corrections. The former has since been absorbed back into the Justice portfolio, but the latter is still independent.
List of justice ministers
;Key
See also
*
Justice ministry
*
Law in New Zealand
The law of New Zealand uses the English common law system, inherited from being a part of the British Empire.
There are several sources of law, the primary ones being statutes enacted by the New Zealand Parliament and case law made by decisions ...
*
New Zealand Ministry of Justice
*
Politics in New Zealand
References
External links
New Zealand Ministry of Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister Of Justice (New Zealand)
Justice
Public office-holders in New Zealand
Justice