I am delighted to have this opportunity as President of the International Association of Judges (“IAJ”) to send you greetings, best wishes and congratulations. I have been privileged to have seen the creation of the Judicial Association of New Zealand ("JANZ”) and its subsequent successful application to join the IAJ at our meeting in Kazakhstan in 2019.
Both have as their fundamental objectives the maintenance and preservation of the rule of law and of the independence of the judiciary. Judicial associations in common law countries have not been usual although they have been in civil law countries. That difference reflects in part the different career paths leading to judicial appointment within the two systems and in part also the difference in culture and juridical organisational structure within the two systems. Increasingly, however, judicial associations have emerged within common law countries and have become significant and fundamental bodies assisting the judiciaries of their country in the preservation of the rule of law, the defence of judicial independence and in enhancing judicial education and development. The defence of judges which was once reliably undertaken by Attorneys General is now more likely to be undertaken by independent judicial associations which have been established in national countries. The growth in legal complexity and increasingly complex litigation and case management has increased the need for judicial training and development which to some extent is lead by national judicial associations.
I was pleased to have presided over the unanimous election of JANZ to membership of the IAJ at its annual meeting last year in Kazakhstan. I have previously had the privilege of seeing the creation of JANZ and was personally delighted to see my New Zealand colleagues take their place in the international community of Judges. The IAJ now has membership of judicial associations, or representative national groups, from 90 countries. Each of its members is committed to the rule of law and to the independence of the judiciary. It meets as a body annually and on those occasions works also through four study commissions enabling its members from the 90 countries to deepen their understanding of the issues with which they deal on a daily basis within their jurisdiction, and to exchange view and undertake significant judicial development.
We welcome JANZ also to the ANAO regional group of the IAJ which includes Canada, the United States of America, and Australia as well as others within the regional group with a different history and culture such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Japan and Taiwan. The presence of JANZ in that regional group, and in the IAJ generally, is significant also because of the importance of the judicial role played by New Zealand judges within the broader pacific region. I have no doubt the IAJ will greatly benefit from the presence of JANZ amongst its ranks. It made significant contributions to discussions at the Central Council of the IAJ within minutes of being elected.
May I end by wishing you well in your deliberations and your conference, and am looking forward to seeing your delegates at the regional group meeting to take place in Washington and subsequently at the IAJ annual meeting in Costa Rica.
Yours faithfully,
The Hone G T Pagone QC
President, International Association of Judges