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Court Registry Officer

Āpiha Whakarite Kōti/Ture

Court registry officers assist with the day-to-day operation of courts. They handle court documents, schedules and may support the judge in running court hearings.

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Secondary education

NCEA Level 2 is required to become a court registry officer. Useful subjects include English, history and classical studies, languages, social studies and te reo Māori.

Study fields

Study levels

  • Up to NCEA Level 3

Useful experience

Useful experience for court registry officers includes:

  • work as a legal secretary or law clerk, or other work in a law office
  • court work
  • administration work
  • work with the public.

What you will do

Court registry officers may do some or all of the following:

  • process documents, such as marriage certificates, for the public
  • answer questions from the public about court sittings and legal documents
  • process court orders, court summons (when you are called to come to court), warrants to arrest and notices
  • schedule court hearings
  • swear in witnesses and read out charges
  • document court proceedings for transcriptionists (people who record what is said in court)
  • prepare and maintain case files
  • liaise with police, judges and lawyers.

Skills and knowledge

Court registry officers need to have knowledge of:

  • court processes
  • the order of court proceedings
  • legal terms and methods.
Pay

Court registry officers earn

$59K-$81K

per year

Job opportunities
Average
Chances of getting a job as a court registry officer are average due to declining job numbers and fewer people leaving the role.

Industry

Law

Court registry officers assist with the day-to-day operation of courts. They handle court documents, schedules and may support the judge in running court hearings.

Similar jobs in this industry

Entry requirements

To become a court registry officer you need to have NCEA Level 2.

  • A current New Zealand driver's licence is an advantage and may be essential in some courts.
  • A tertiary qualification such as a certificate in administration can also be useful.

Chances of getting a job

Fewer vacancies due to less turnover and declining job numbers

The number of people working as court registry officers in New Zealand is expected to decline slowly because courts are modernising and computers are taking over many administrative tasks.

In addition, court registry officers are staying in the job for longer, which means fewer vacancies.

According to the Census, 783 court registry officers worked in New Zealand in 2018.

Chances best if you have customer service and administration experience

Chances of getting a job as a court registry officer are best if you have:

  • customer service and administration experience
  • a tertiary qualification.

You are also more likely to find a job in the main centres of Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch, where most courthouses are located.

One employer of court registry officers

All court registry officers are employed by The Ministry of Justice.

Find out more about training

Ministry of Justice
04 918 8800 - recruitment@justice.govt.nz - www.justice.govt.nz

Progression and specialisations

Court registry officers can specialise as collections registry officers.

Collections Registry Officer
Collections registry officers advise people how to pay their fines, and negotiate with the public to collect overdue fines.

Working conditions

Court registry officers:

  • usually work regular business hours, but may work evenings if a court hearing is running late
  • work in offices and courtrooms, although collections registry officers work from home.

Useful personal qualities

Court registry officers need to be:

  • accurate
  • organised
  • able to work well under pressure
  • able to relate to people from a range of cultures
  • able to understand complex information and explain it clearly to members of the public
  • confident and capable in front of a large audience
  • reliable and able to keep information confidential.

Related Wintec courses

Industry

Law

Court registry officers assist with the day-to-day operation of courts. They handle court documents, schedules and may support the judge in running court hearings.

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