Not many people are aware that New Zealand’s courts still run on physical pieces of paper. Files are managed through court staff and lawyers, as well as Police, Corrections and Oranga Tamariki, and are sent all-round the country to ensure they are in the right place at the right time. If files are delayed, or, even worse, go missing, then there are impacts on court cases and on people’s lives.

In 2022, the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary ran an ambitious procurement process to find a Vendor who would work in partnership with them to transform the New Zealand Court System – to move caseloads from pieces of paper to a smooth flowing digital case management system. The system, gifted the name Te Au Reka, needed to be able to cover almost all of New Zealand’s courts and be available over the whole country – an implementation approach that was unique worldwide.

The procurement also needed to be run in true partnership between the Ministry and the judiciary, recognising the unique role, importance, and independence of the judiciary.

In this presentation, Jo Toon and Ben Carlaw will discuss how the Ministry approached the procurement process, the challenges faced along the way, and reflect on the lessons that have been learned from running such a large scale and complex process.

Event Details:

📅 Date: Thursday 18 April

🕒 Time: 5pm - 8pm NZST

📍 Location: Robert Walters Wellington - Level 15, Harbour Tower, 2 Hunter Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011

Event Programme:

5:00pm - Guest arrival, registration, networking
5:30pm - Welcome speech by CIPS Wellington Chair and Robert Walters
5:45pm - Presentation Starts
6:45pm - Q&A
7:00pm - Networking and drinks
8:00pm - Event ends

Event Speakers:

Jo Toon, Commerical Portfolio Manager, Te Au Reka

Jo Toon was the Commercial Portfolio Manager leading the procurement process for Te Au Reka. An experienced procurement professional, her thirteen-year career in the New Zealand civil service has seen her working for multiple agencies, procuring everything from IT software and services, to furniture, through to social services supporting Aotearoa’s tamariki and whānau. She now runs her own business helping small and medium businesses navigate the government procurement process.

Ben Carlaw, Manager, Commercial Services, Ministry of Justice

With an eighteen-year career in the procurement profession, Ben's experience spans public and private sector, in both New Zealand and Australia.

Thank you to Robert Walters Wellington for sponsoring this event, providing the venue, food and beverages.

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