13 August 2021- JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION

The Judicial Service Commission at its meeting of 4 August 2021 confirmed the appointment of the following High Court Judges of New Zealand as Acting Judges of the Supreme Court of Samoa for a period of 2 years: 

1. Justice Robert Fisher

2. Justice Peter Blanchard

3. Justice Rhys Harrison

4. Justice Rodney Hansen

5. Justice Raynor Asher

On Wednesday, 11 August 2021 @ 11am, the above judges were sworn-in by His Highness the Head of State, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi 11 during a ceremony via Video link held at the Head of State’s Official Residence at Vailele. The ceremony was attended by His Honourable Chief Justice Perese, Justice Nelson and Justice Roma.

The sworn judges are esteemed retired High Court Judges of New Zealand with relevant experience and knowledge to assist our local Bench. Their appointments are made to assist with the upcoming hearing of contempt cases before the Court and appeal cases before the Court of Appeal. The external oversight of judgment on these matters is paramount and it won’t be appropriate for local judges to deal with them.

These appointments are made pursuant to Article 69 of the Constitution.

Moliei Simi Vaai

Secretary of Judicial Service Commission

On the 10^th and 11^th June 2021, three representatives of the Corrections, Affiliation and Maintenance (CAM) division attended an introductory training hosted by the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD), in conjunction with the Samoa Disability Partnership Program (SDPP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), that addressed concepts associated with psychological first aid as well as psychosocial and mental health. Participants were invited from various government ministries, state entities and non-governmental organizations based on the nature of work they conduct on a daily basis and its relation to the main topics mentioned above.

The two-day training focused on psychological first aid wherein the principles of preparation, observation, communication and interaction were emphasized. Preparation comprised of learning details about the crisis event, reviewing available services and resources that could provide support and learning about any safety concerns around the issue. Observation included observing the victims for any signs of serious distress and identifying basic needs. Communication entailed asking questions about people’s concerns and listening to their responses with the intention of maintaining calmness and not causing further harm. Interaction involved promoting self-reliance by assisting victims to address their needs and cope with their problems as well as providing further information with the key of connecting people with their loved ones and social support. The training was conducted by UNICEF in-country specialist, Dr. Aladin Borja.

Savaii Court at Tuasivi, is known to be the mini version of our Main office at Mulinu’u that offers and administers all services available in Mulinu’u except for the Supreme Court Jurisdiction. The Lands and Titles Court operate weekly wherein Samoan Judges from the main office at Mulinu’u are allocated and roster to attend to Savaii Court from Monday to Thursday. Since September 2020, the Lands and Titles Court of Appeal has now been fully operated by our team in Savaii compared to previous years where all Appeal Cases of the LTC was performed by our Court of Appeal Team from Mulinu’u. The Court of Appeal sits on a monthly basis in Savaii where the President and Vice Presidents are to reside over these appeal cases.
The Civil and Criminal Court now sits twice a month since March 2021 whereas before it only occurred once a month. District Court Judges are assigned and roster to attend to Civil and Criminal Court cases in Savaii except for the Faamasinoga Fesoasoani Court where a Samoan Judge from the Lands and Titles Court presides.
A total of 24 staff is headed by the Assistant Chief Executive Officer.