Plaques mark 200 years of service by JPs
Two plaques marking 200 years since the first Justice of the Peace was appointed in New Zealand were unveiled at Waitangi on Saturday.
About 35 people attended the ceremony — hosted by the Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations — including JPs from around the country, their families, Waitangi Treaty Grounds staff and past president Graeme Kitto.
The event started with an official ceremony, before two plaques marking the occasion were blessed by Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu then unveiled at the Treaty House.
Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations president Rachael
O’Grady said although 2014 had been the actual bicentenary of the appointment of New Zealand’s first JP — Thomas Kendall — it has taken time to find an appropriate site for the plaques.
In 2014 the occasion was marked with the 86th annual JP conference at the Copthorne Hotel in Waitangi, where more than 300 JPs turned out.
The federation also celebrated the bicentenary by holding a reception at Government House and issuing commemorative postage stamps.
“It’s really the celebration of our 200 years; that’s what the plaques represent,” O’Grady said.
“They serve as a reminder to celebrate our history and that we’ve provided information to the public for such a long time.”
Kendall was a missionary in the Bay of Islands who was appointed a JP in 1814 by Governor Macquarie of New South Wales.
O’Grady — who has been a JP since 2008 in Hawke’s Bay — said JPs provided vital services to their communities.
Not only did they witness documents, take statutory declarations and certify paperwork, some served in courts as judicial JPs.
Doubtless Bay resident Bev Webber has been a JP for seven years.
“I see it as a really import role, it’s an honour. You’re privy to a lot of information from people who get their documents signed. I’ve met some amazing people.”