Visiting the Supreme Court

Address 85 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Telephone (04) 918 8222

 

Open

Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.  Closed weekends and public holidays.

Supreme Court Visitors

  • Will be required to go through security screening before being permitted access to the court building.

Supreme Court hearings

Visitors are welcome to view hearings at the Supreme Court if they comply with the above restrictions for visitors.  See upcoming cases.

Guided tours

The Supreme Court is located in the heart of Wellington’s central business district, directly opposite Parliament. Free guided tours are available of the Supreme Court complex, which include the historic Old High Court. We cater for groups and for individuals. Tours last approximately 1 hour, or 1.5 hours for school groups. These lengths can be negotiated if you require.

School groups and community groups are encouraged to book in advance by emailing the tour guide.

To make a booking please provide:

  • the day and time you would prefer
  • the number of people in your group
  • details of any accessibility requirements
  • if booking for a school group please include the year group.

Public tours are scheduled for 2pm Tuesdays and Thursdays. Bookings for these tours are highly recommended. Tours outside these times may also be possible – please contact tours@justice.govt.nz to check.

All tours are subject to the daily business of the Courts and tours can sometimes be adapted for this reason.

The Supreme Court is situated across the road from Parliament, and visiting both institutions provides a valuable learning experience. Parliament offers educational visits for school groups, these can be booked at : Education at Parliament.

Self-guided tours

For visitors wanting to do a self-guided tour there is a brochure available in the foyer of the Supreme Court.  Visitors can view a video on the design of the building and a video about the court system.  The courtroom can be viewed through the observation window.

 

 

Security

We do not store belongings while visitors are on tours.

Other

Another branch of Government to visit