Reading the Riot Act : a 200-year history of justices of the peace in New Zealand

Harkness, Philip

ISBN 10: 0473295962 / ISBN 13: 9780473295967

Published by Media Features Limited, Auckland, 2015

About this Item

25 cm, 160 pp, b&w photo illus, d/w. A lovely copy - appears unused.

Seller Inventory # 008220

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Reading the Riot Act : a 200-year history of justices of the peace in New Zealand
• Publisher: Media Features Limited, Auckland
• Publication Date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0473295962
• ISBN 13: 9780473295967
• Binding: Papered Boards
• Edition: First Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • New Zealand - General

About this title

Synopsis

News RSS Our History Recorded in New Book Ric Carlyon - Wednesday, March 18, 2015 The ‘Year of the Justice of the Peace", during which we celebrated 200 years of Justices of Peace in New Zealand, has been appropriately crowned with publication of a book tracing our history. “Reading the Riot Act*, A 200 Year History of Justices of the Peace in New Zealand” by Philip Harkness chronicles the days of the first J.P., Thomas Kendall, and other early Justices (this chapter’s subtitled ‘Rough Justice’) through to the present day. The story ends with challenges supporting the case for non-partisan appointments of Justices of the Peace and greater deployment of Justices of the Peace to relieve the workload in District Courts. Dr Philip Harkness is very well-positioned to write the book: his thesis was about New Zealand’s lay magistracy, he’s been a Justice of the Peace for more than 50 years during which time he has undertaken both Judicial duties on the Bench and Ministerial duties. He’s a former President of Waikato Justices of the Peace Association and is a Life Member of the Auckland Association. He says in the Preface that this account is “not intended as an academic treatise but rather as a wide-ranging account of the adoption and development in New Zealand of British common justice…” Philip Harkness has achieved his objective with an easily read text, accompanied by illustrations, telling the story, warts-and-all, from the earliest days of colonisation.