N IUE R ESPONSIVE F UND M ATERIALS L AND C OURTS B ENCH B OOK PJDP RESPONSIVE FUND ACTIVITY MATERIALS RESPONSIVE FUND ACTIVITY – NIUE LAND COURTS BENCH BOOK Foreword Fakalofa lahi atu It is my privilege to introduce the Niue Land Court Bench Book. The Bench Book is a carefully constructed and highly useful judicial tool. It is for the guidance of Commissioners. I commend it, not because it is a full and complete explanation of the judicial process but because it is a highly useful handbook and will help Commissioners avoid most of the pitfalls in judicial decision-making. It is not prepared by the Judges of the High Court of Niue and does not operate as a judgment or create a precedence. It has been said that in a democracy, the courts belong not to the judges and the lawyers, but to the citizens. There is no better proof of this statement than where citizens themselves are the judges. The office of Commissioner of the High Court is therefore an extremely important part of Niue’s judicial system, and this office carries with it a heavy burden of responsibility towards the citizens of Niue. Every Commissioner, whether newly appointed or experienced, must have a sound understanding of their judicial and constitutional position, as well as a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of Land Division matters, of the rules of evidence, and of the procedure of the Court. This Bench Book, which will support a programme of training and provide an ongoing reference resource for Commissioners, will greatly complement the inherent wisdom and abilities of the Commissioners of our jurisdiction. It is constructed in a manner so that it can be applied on a day-to-day basis in the administration of justice in Niue. I hope that the Commissioners will read it carefully and regularly re-read it. I commend and congratulate those who have been involved in the planning and construction of the Bench Book. I would like to thank Deputy Registrar Darren Tohovaka, National Coordinator for the Niue Judicial Education and Development Committee, and Tina Pope for their excellent work in the production of the Bench Book, under the oversight of the Secretary for Justice and Registrar of the Niue High Court, Justin Kamupala, and with assistance from Deputy Registrar Celina Tiakia. I acknowledge and appreciate the financial and technical assistance from the governments of New Zealand, through MFAT, and Australia, through the Federal Court of Australia, and particularly thank the Pacific Judicial Development Programme (PJDP) for making this publication possible. Fakaue lahi Monuina mai he Atua P J Savage Chief Justice 8 June 2012 2 PJDP RESPONSIVE FUND ACTIVITY MATERIALS RESPONSIVE FUND ACTIVITY – NIUE LAND COURTS BENCH BOOK Contents Chapter 1: The legal framework Contents 1 The Constitutional Framework of Niue ............................................................................. 8 1.1 Niue’s Constitution ................................................................................................................. 8 1.2 The doctrine of separation of powers..................................................................................... 8 1.3 The branches of government in Niue ..................................................................................... 8 Head of State ............................................................................................................8 The Executive ...........................................................................................................8 The Assembly (the legislature) ..................................................................................9 The Judiciary .............................................................................................................9 1.4 How the branches of government check and balance each other ....................................... 10 Independence of the Judiciary.................................................................................. 10 1.5 Local government ................................................................................................................ 10 2 Niue’s court system .......................................................................................................... 11 2.1 General characteristics of the court system ......................................................................... 11 2.2 The structure of the court system ........................................................................................ 11 2.3 A brief description of the courts ........................................................................................... 11 The High Court ......................................................................................................... 11 The Court of Appeal ................................................................................................. 12 The Sovereign in Council (Privy Council) ................................................................. 12 3 Judicial conduct and ethics ............................................................................................. 12 4 The law ............................................................................................................................... 13 4.1 Sources of law ..................................................................................................................... 13 4.2 The Constitution ................................................................................................................... 13 Where the Constitution is found ......................................................................................... 13 The Constitution is supreme law ........................................................................................ 13 The Constitution is entrenched ........................................................................................... 13 Niuean land in the Constitution .......................................................................................... 13 4.3 Legislation............................................................................................................................ 14 Acts .................................................................................................................................... 14 Subordinate legislation ....................................................................................................... 14 Understanding and interpreting legislation ......................................................................... 14 4.4 Common law ........................................................................................................................ 15 Doctrine of precedent .......................................................................................................... 16 4.5 Customary law ..................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: The Land Court Contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 18 3 PJDP RESPONSIVE FUND ACTIVITY MATERIALS RESPONSIVE FUND ACTIVITY – NIUE LAND COURTS BENCH BOOK 2 Governing legislation ....................................................................................................... 18 3 Composition of the Land Court ....................................................................................... 18 3.1 Judges ................................................................................................................................. 18 3.2 Commissioners .................................................................................................................... 18 Appointment ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Tenure of office .................................................................................................................................. 19 Removal ............................................................................................................................................ 19 3.3 Other officers of the Court ................................................................................................... 20 Registrar ........................................................................................................................................... 20 Deputy Registrar ................................................................................................................................ 20 Administrative officers ....................................................................................................................... 20 4 Special nature of the Land Court .................................................................................... 20 4.1 Niuean land.......................................................................................................................... 20 4.2 Inquisitorial nature of the Land Court ................................................................................... 20 5 Language of the Court ..................................................................................................... 21 6 Jurisdiction and powers ................................................................................................... 21 6.1 Jurisdiction defined .............................................................................................................