Mark Darbyshire JP

24/12/2025

Another year of service comes to an end!

This year was calmer than last year. I served 1,165 clients this year (compared with 1,531 in 2024) and a growing percentage of those clients were on the JP service desk at Tūranga library.

Nevertheless, there was a Christmas rush this year. I saw 15 clients on Monday 15 December alone, another 13 on Tuesday 16 December, and six today (New Years' Eve).

My JP warrant arrived yesterday, as I didn't receive one when I was first sworn in two years ago.

Happy holidays to you all! I'm heading to the North Island for a few weeks to visit family and produce a comedy show. The JP service desks resumes at Tūranga on Wednesday 7 January 2026, or you can find currently available JPs listed at https://justiceofthepeace.org.nz/

11/10/2025

Today it's two years since I was sworn in as a JP. Since then, I've served 2,617 clients and administered 5,853 documents. I'm looking forward to seeing a few more clients this evening.

It's been a crazy couple of years but I've noticed the workload easing off in recent months, with more JPs available in the city centre and presumably more JPs available on evenings and weekends to share the load.

06/10/2025

Did you know: if you're on a resident visa then you're probably eligible to vote in the local elections happening right now!

You just need to have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months at some stage in your life, and not be required to leave in the future. If you live in Christchurch but you're not enrolled to vote then just go to one of the “special voting” locations listed here before Saturday:

During local elections, you can vote for the Mayor, a ward councillor, community board members and members of the Regional Council.

11/03/2025

Life has been insane these past few weeks, so I often haven't been available for JP appointments. Nevertheless, this evening I saw my 2,000th client since becoming a JP! And last week, I administered my 4,500th document.

12/02/2025

Today was my busiest day ever as a JP, despite seeing no clients whatsoever (very unusual for me) except for 29 clients on the JP service desk at Tūranga! I'm rewarding myself with a delicious plant-based pizza and cocktail at Formaggio's.

01/02/2025

January was my biggest month ever as a JP with 183 clients. There were a few quiet days toward the start of the month while everyone was on holiday, but then things really ramped up. A lot of certified copies of ID for university enrolments and student loan applications.

Conspicuous by their absence, though, were Fees Free applications. The Government has moved Fees Free from the first to final year of a qualification, meaning I haven't seen a single Fees Free application since October.

05/01/2025

Dr. Sunita Gautam and I spoke to Duncan Webb about life as a JP. There's a shortage of JPs in Christchurch Central. If you're interested in giving it a go, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. You can apply to your local MP.

Sunita Gautam & Mark Darbyshire answered some questions about what it is like to be a Justice of the Peace and why you should consider applying! We have a sh...

02/01/2025

Looking for a New Year’s resolution? What about helping make Christchurch the greatest city in New Zealand? (We argue it already is, but there’s always room for improvement!)

2025 will be a big year for housing and transport decisions, and we need your help to advocate for a financially-sustainable city, one with a range of (affordable) housing choices, and better ways of getting from A to B.

If you’re interested, please send us a message, and get involved!

27/11/2024

I'm proud to be quoted in this extremely well-researched podcast episode. Cults are such a danger to our society, and I believe I was raised in one.

Special Guest: Alex*

26/10/2024

It's been a depressing year in NZ politics – with essential infrastructure cancelled, climate action rolled back, and localism undermined – but it's important to stay engaged where we can. This petition is important, because it's one issue where we could conceivably win over the current government. We need to ensure NZ freight is as efficient as possible, reducing its impact on our climate and on our roads, supporting our economy, and ensuring goods can get from A to B as quickly and cheaply as possible.

The ageing Interislander ferries must be replaced. We believe it’s crucial that new ferries are rail-enabled and publicly owned, letting rail freight and equipment move easily between the North and South Islands. Without rail-enabled ferries, the two islands’ rail networks will be disconnected, ...

15/10/2024

I reached a special milestone over the weekend – a year since I was sworn in as a JP!

Over that time, I've helped approximately:
• 175 people sponsor a visa application, so their family or employees can call New Zealand their home
• 140 people withdraw their KiwiSaver (due to financial hardship, buying their first home, or retiring)
• 122 people apply for some sort of police check (usually as part of their visa application, but sometimes so they can work in a particular industry)
• 54 students apply for their Fees Free
• 32 people to remotely authorise their lawyer to transact property on their behalf
• 22 people change their name or the s*x marker on their birth certificate
• 10 people with their divorce (enabling them to move on with the next stage of their life)

In total, my first year comprised:
• 1,249 appointments
• 1,376 clients
• 2,139 certified copies
• 588 statutory declarations
• 62 affidavits
• 52 contracts witnessed
• 98 miscellaneous documents administered

Obviously this voluntary work keeps me very busy, but I'm trying to find ways to make it more sustainable and ensure there are more JPs offering their services in the city centre and meeting the needs of our community.

The last few weeks have been quieter than usual for me on the JP front, partly because of all my other commitments, partly because of the school holidays, partly because visa fees doubled on 1 October, and partly because the JP service desk at Tūranga appears to have lightened my load.

10/09/2024

📢 Christchurch City Council must let Ōtautahi stretch its legs

The independent hearings panel has recommended reducing the City Center walking catchment to just the area within the 4 Aves.

Areas just outside the Four Aves, particularly north and south of the city are high amenity areas, among the most suitable places in the country for more homes.

There are all the usual city amenities, schools, offices, jobs, and shops, but there are also the premier public facilities of the city; Hagley park, the Botanic Gardens, Tūranga, and Margaret Mahy playground.

The Council's recommendation was well considered and acknowledged the commercial spines that extend along Papanui road and Colombo Street out from the city centre.

Council now has the opportunity to decide to expand the walkable catchment to what they earlier proposed. We call on them to do so.

The area is highly suitable for more housing. Letting people choose to build and live there is good for people, the city, and the planet.

Diving into a more technical aspect of the plan, Policy 3 of the NPS-UD is very clear that walkable catchments should be considered from the edge of City Center Zones. Restricting the catchment to the Four Aves means the Northwest corner of the city centre has a walkable catchment of zero metres, while other areas have 650m.

Bealey Ave, while large, is not uncrossable! It is unclear how the catchment as proposed by the IHP is congruent with the NPS-UD, and how this decision would withstand legal scrutiny.

Read our full write up here: https://greaterotautahi.nz/christchurch-city-council-must-let-otautahi-stretch-its-legs/