Mrs Kelly Smith spoke with senior students recently about the importance of document verification and her special community role as a Justice of the Peace.

A Justice of the Peace is someone who serves the Community. To become a Justice of the Peace (JP), your local Member of Parliament (MP) must decide that:

• there is a need for another JP in your area and
• you are personally suitable to be a Justice of the Peace.  

It is quite a process and Mrs Smith had that X-factor, ticking all of the boxes and was eventually sworn in by the Governor-General. She now proudly serves the Waimate community as a Justice of the Peace.  As part of her role, she gets to perform certain important tasks like document verification. This is very important for students moving into Tertiary study as they have to provide a verified copy of a birth certificate or a passport.