Over 80 jury trials and thousands of court appearances were delayed in the first week of this latest Covid-19 lockdown.
Figures released to 1 NEWS reveal 9,901 court events in district courts across the country have been adjourned or rescheduled, including 80 jury trials.
At the high court, 246 events have also been delayed, including two jury trials.
"The full impact on the number of active cases will not be known until courts and tribunals are back to business as usual," said the Ministry of Justice's Anton Youngman.
"The District Court, Australasia's largest court, continues to conduct priority proceedings at Alert Level 4. Priority proceedings include those affecting the liberty of an individual, protection of the at-risk or vulnerable - including children, national community and safety interest, and facilitating and promoting public order."
Youngman said at alert levels 3 and 4, high and district court proceedings would be conducted remotely as much as possible, using technology including Microsoft Teams.
"The number of adjourned or rescheduled court events during the Alert Level 4 restrictions so far accord with the same level 4 restrictions in 2020 across all jurisdictions," said Youngman.
However, this comes as the courts continue to deal with a large volume if cases, exacerbated by delays from previous lockdowns.
"Covid-19 alert levels had and continue to have a significant effect on the operations of the courts," said Youngman.
Last year, the Government announced a $50m investment to address the impact of Covid-19, including providing for five new district court judges and about 40 new fulltime staff.
Those new judges began working earlier this year.
Community law centres also received a $3.5m investment to help "encourage resolution of issues" before they reach the courts.
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