The Chief District Court Judge says a major efficiency drive this year has had a dramatic effect on the speed of the court process.
Russell Johnson says the drive has involved examining the performance of every major court.
He says district courts across the country are now disposing of summary crime cases and civil trials faster than they are coming in, even though that workload has increased considerably over the past year.
Mr Johnson says judges at the Auckland District Court have been leading the charge, and police and lawyers are now struggling to keep up with the pace.
