The New Zealand government has ordered an inquiry after a routine computer scan found four judges appeared to have accessed Internet sex sites while at work.
 
Attorney General Margaret Wilson said on Monday the inquiry would seek more information on the sites and whether accessing them could be deemed as misbehaviour, a mistake, or work-related research.
 
Wilson wants the inquiry by the Department of Courts to identify "what (sites), how many, (and) how long" they were accessed before looking at the possibility of further action.
 
"I've asked for a complete investigation... It's very important to understand the nature of the access."
 
The inquiry covers a High Court judge and three lower ranked district court judges.
 
The judiciary is independent from the government's executive or Cabinet wing and a judge can only be removed by Parliament debating and agreeing an "address" or message to the Queen's representative, the Governor General, to withdraw a judge's warrant.
 
"On the evidence at this stage there does not appear to be grounds that would support the address," Wilson said.
 
Prime Minister Helen Clark said judges should have higher standards than ordinary New Zealanders and using a work computer to access the Internet for non-work purposes would be an error of judgment and inappropriate.
 
"The question is whether it is so inappropriate and such an error of judgment that it leads to issues such as (a judge resigning)," Clark told reporters at a news conference.
 
Wilson said she expected the inquiry to be completed by the end of the week.