Justices celebrated

Last Saturday night, my wife and I attended a dinner celebrating the

100th anniversary of the formation of the Auckland Justices of the Peace Association. At the time of its formation, it included the then Auckland Province, the upper half of the North Island.

The Justices of the Peace role extends in an unbroken line of service to the Sovereign (The State) for over

700 years within and outside, Commonwealth countries. For this reason, it is the oldest quasi-legal office in the world.

Justices of the Peace are the first rung on the judicial ladder and therefore part of this country’s official judicial structure now supported by the Ministry of Justice. All Justices of the Peace are volunteers, unpaid, and without them, the basic legal services in this country could not function. Allan M Spence, Waiuku