Our Contact Centre will be closed from 5pm on 24 December 2024, reopening at 8am on 3 January 2025. National Office (Aitken Street, Wellington) reception will be closed from 5pm on Friday 20 December, reopening at 8am on Monday 6 January 2025. For more information, see Court and Tribunal hours
As a media representative attending a criminal jurisdiction sitting of a District Court, you have access to press sheets, which detail the name, address, date of birth and occupation of the defendant and the charges laid against them. A press sheet will not provide you with any information on suppression orders, which may be granted subsequently.
Under the Ministry of Justice’s current processes, press sheets:
are not destroyed at the end of the day of first appearance
are distributed to the press bench or are made available to media on request
are stored for one month
are destroyed after one month from date of first appearance
are kept in a designated space known to both court staff and media.
A disclaimer has been provided to each court to be kept with the press sheets, explaining that:
press sheets are provided to media as a courtesy and are the property of the court
press sheets must not leave the courthouse
press sheets are available on the day of first appearance and are not reprinted if lost or damaged
Information on the press sheet may not be accurate after first appearance; charges may be mended or withdrawn since the date of first appearance and may not be updated on the press sheet.
You must check with court staff before publishing any work. Name and or detail suppression may have been granted.
Press sheets are only provided in relation to the first appearance of the defendant and are not provided for any subsequent appearances.