Winter can drain the joy from the greatest of life’s enthusiasts. But as we have passed the shortest day of the year the amount of daylight is now steadily increasing, albeit by about a minute a day. So as the evenings draw out, it is appropriate to reflect on maintaining our personal welfare.
You will find in this month’s newsletter the results of the 2024 UK Judicial Attitude Study. A colleague referred this to me with the apposite note “grim reading”. It paints a picture of many in the UK judiciary feeling underappreciated and undervalued by the government. Increasing and significant numbers are concerned for their safety in court. Levels of stress are increasing.
Interestingly, dissatisfaction with pay and superannuation has gone down over recent years. Almost all continue to find the work satisfying. The large majority feel appreciated by the profession and the parties who appear before them. Yet the numbers who intend to retire early or who would, if their financial situation allowed it, increases – 39% by 2029.
Those who have taken an interest in reforms of the UK legal system over recent years will be aware that the years of “austerity” have eaten away at access to justice with particularly brutal legal aid cuts and other measures. Inevitably this affects those at the coal face.
It would be interesting to see the results of a similar survey in New Zealand and the trends it may show over time. A JANZ project for the future maybe?
In the meantime, we need to be attentive to the wellbeing of our colleagues. It is timely to remind all members of the Sanctuary Care programme that we have in place through the support of Lifetime. If any of our colleagues are in crisis and need time out for them and their family, this is available. Time away at a bach or holiday home can be arranged at no cost to the member. You can contact me or other committee members direct if this is the support you need. Similarly, if you know of someone who may need this support, let me know.
I wish to acknowledge the support we have received from Lifetime. They have backed JANZ financially throughout. For instance, this newsletter is possible because of that support. We have recently agreed to continue this association for a further five years.
Notwithstanding it being the fourth of July, I have restrained myself from commenting on the manifest destiny of white male Americans. However, the IAJ has organised a webinar and podcasts on the topic "Backsliding Democracies – The Role of the Judiciary". The webinar “The Path to Authoritarianism” is live on 7 July 2025, 4pm CEST (2am NZ time – sorry). There are also links to podcasts eg Judges the Enemy – Politicized Justice. These links are in this newsletter.
A warning to those who share my level of technical skills, I have found trying to access any IAJ website material on a Justice Department computer ends up with it being blocked. The IT help in Wellington has been unable to shift this. But it is accessible with other computers.
Finally in the immortal words of Sergeant Phil Esterhaus: “Let’s be careful out there”.