Chalkboards part of $3.8m Waitakere District Court upgrade

Tuesday, 10 May 2016

Justice Minister Amy Adams is shown a cell with a well-used chalkboard.

Chalkboards in the cells of the Waitakere District Court are stopping detainees from drawing on walls.

The new initiative is a small part of a $3.8 million revamp of the 20-year-old court building, which has been slowly refitted throughout since July 2015, without closing down.

A new audio-visual room at the Waitakere District Court.

Court services manager Lauren Stephenson says that before the chalkboards were installed the walls were constantly tagged and repainted.

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Justice Minister Amy Adams and Auckland courts lead service delivery manager Dan Brady in one of the newly refurbished court rooms.

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'We were surprised. In the first few weeks there were no drawings outside of the chalkboards. It obviously gives the people waiting something to do.'

The boards are wiped down every evening and only white chalk is provided to avoid any gang connotations.

The idea came from Mt Eden prison and was so successful that chalkboards have also been installed in the cells at North Shore District Court.

The revamp also includes upgraded security, audio-visual links and a single public counter.

Previously there were three different counters for family, civil and criminal issues.

Justice Minister Amy Adams visited for a tour on May 5 and says what has been done with the building is 'incredibly impressive' and will make it more secure and efficient.

'I saw the court about a year ago before all this work began and it was clear that it was working under some very constrained and less than ideal circumstances,' she says.