Latest News

2024 

  • Solicitor-General’s Prosecution Guidelines (2024) These have now been released. Click here to see the updated guidelines.

  • The new Bail Application Scheduling Framework has been released. Click here to see the new guidelines.  

  • The Honourable Justice Simon Moore's Valedictory Sitting will be at the Auckland High Court on Thursday, 14 November 2024 at 4.00pm. Click here for more information.

  • The Honourable Justice Cooper’s Final Sitting will be held at the Court of Appeal in Courtroom One on Tuesday, 19 November at 4:00 pm. 

    Please let me know (president@criminalbar.org.nz) by 27 October if you wish to attend on behalf of the CBA. 

  • Thats Just Criminal podcast is now live 

  • AnS Consulting Limited – Phone Data: One of the Conference presenters was A Sathyendran (“Sathy”).  Sathy has helpfully provided the two attached documents for us to circulate to you, in relation to requests of the Police regarding cellphone data. The first document here is for you to adopt and give to police to get cell phone data.  The second document here provides an explanation of why the requested information is needed.  

  • Discount code for evidence text: As usual Associate Professor Scott Optican presented an informative and humorous update on the law of evidence, at the Conference.  See here for the latest edition of Mahoney on Evidence. “CBA24” is the code for a 20% discount.

  • The Criminal Bar Association provided feedback to Corrections and the Ministry of Justice on the proposal to move defendants remanded in custody closer to their trial location three weeks before trial. See here for the Ministry of Justice's response to our letter and the proposed changes that will be implemented.

  • Legal Eagles Soaring From Their Eyries – click here to read an opinion piece penned by CBA committee member Steven Zindel.

  • Sentencing:  Discounts for youth: click here to read (High Court Judge’s clerk) Kelci Alderton-Armstrong’s recent New Zealand Law Review article on “The Judicial Approach to the Youth Discount in Aotearoa New Zealand”

  •  The CBA sent a letter to Legal Aid in response to the implications of other funded reports due to the defunding of section 27 reports. You can read this here. My thanks are due to James Gurnick from our executive committee who helped with this.
  • The CBA sent submissions to the Chief District Court Judge on the proposed draft bail protocol. You can read the submissions here. A huge thank you to executive committee members Annabel Ives, Emma Priest and Sarah Saunderson-Warner who worked on these.

  • The Chief District Court Judge has released a Limited Licence Practice Note. His Honour issued the Practice Note in order to get greater consistency in how applications for a limited licence under the Land Transport Act 1998 are dealt with in the District Court. You can read this here

  • SC 75/2022 Justin Richard Burke v The King - 

    The Supreme Court’s decision in Burke was released today - the decision can be found here. The decision relates to section 66(2) party liability in the context of homicide (manslaughter). Many thanks are due to Chris Wilkinson-Smith who appeared as lead counsel for the Criminal Bar Association as intervener, together with Adam Simperingham.  Chris and Adam received help from Associate Professor James Mehigan from Canterbury University Law Faculty, and Rory Bevins (University of Otago/Woodward Chrisp).

  • In August 2023 the Office of the Inspectorate of the Department of Corrections issued a report on the prison management of pregnant women and mothers of infant children.  The report “Mothers and Babies” examines the management of pregnant women, those in prison with a child in the community and opportunities for mothers with children in the community to maintain support of parental relationships.  The conclusion is that all three of the women’s prisons have well-resourced and inviting spaces for mothers to care for their children under 24 months old but that the facilities are under used and their potential only partially fulfilled.  The report will be of interest to practitioners acting for women prisoners/defendants. FINAL Inspectorate thematic report - Mothers and Babies.pdf

2023

  • The 2023 budget did not provide increases in legal aid funding, particularly the duty lawyer rate remained frozen at its 2006 rate. A Special General Meeting of CBA will be called to discuss action and to consider legal advise regarding professional obligations while pursuing this campaign.

2022

  • In November 2022 a CBA group met with the Minister of Justice to discuss topics including; legal aid, name suppression, judicial resources, name suppression and prisoner issues.
  • Following the 2022 CBA meet with the Legal Services Commissioners to raise concerns that the announced budget increases to legal aid were not resulting in substantial increases to legal aid and particularly noted the low rates for duty solicitors and fixed fees. 
  • Successful CBA Conference in Auckland 5 - 7 August, this included the new Minister of Justice the Honourable Kiri Allan, the Chief Justice Justice Winkelmann , Justice Kos, President Cooper, Chief High Court Judge Thomas and Chief District Court Judge Taumaunu.  Conference Dinner at the Auckland Museum.
  • CBA has appeared in Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as intervenor on issues including murder sentencing and access to mental health services and hopes to appear in further cases in 2023.
  • CBA making submissions to parliamentary select committees and participating in the CPIP workstream consultation process and contributing to  High Court Disclosure working group.

CBA Political Panel: Party Crime Policy

22 Sep 2023

With Associate Professor and AUT Dean of Law Khylee Quince & Professor Kris Gledhill 

 Date: Thursday 5 October 2023

Time: 6:30pm - 8pm (6pm doors open)

Venue: AUT City Campus, WG126, map attached

Food: Light refreshments provided by CBA

 

RSVP to kat@kathamblin.com by Wed 27 September for catering purposes

 

Panel

National - Paul Goldsmith (Justice spokesperson) 

ACT - Todd Stephenson (4th ACT list candidate)

Greens - Golriz Ghahraman (Justice spokesperson) 

Te Pati Māori - Takutai Kemp (Tāmaki Makaurau)

TOP - Shai Navot (former Crown prosecutor) 

Labour - Vanushi Walters (former Human Rights lawyer)

NZ First - TBC 

 

Media have confirmed attendance

 

Map: https://www.aut.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/118919/AUT-campus-map-city.pdf

CBA Political Panel - Live stream 

 

Thank you to everyone who has contacted us about this event. Due to the level of interest from members outside of Auckland, we are going to live stream the full event from the CBA Facebook page (Criminal Bar Association NZ) as well as have a zoom link available for members to view the event. Link below: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89917942187?pwd=WDZXVVpsN3NKVjNrSnQza3RVM2lGQT09

 

Meeting ID: 899 1794 2187

Passcode: 194200

 

 


Login





Forgot password?
Create an Account