Hearings

What are hearings?

Hearings are judicial proceedings that are open to the public.
They are run by a Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal member.
The purpose of a hearing is to clarify and test the evidence.
To help you prepare, a pre-hearing conference is held before all hearings.
The hearing pathway will always result in the Tribunal issuing a decision, unless the parties withdraw or come to an agreement before the decision is issued.
You and your advocate, and the insurer and their advocate, must attend all hearings.

Most hearing pathways will follow these steps, which are separate events held on different days:

The hearing of your evidence. You, your advocate and a member of the Tribunal have a discussion. You’ll have a chance to tell the member about your claim and how you feel it’s been managed. The insurer or their advocate may ask you to explain some points.
The hearing of your insurer’s evidence. As with the hearing of your evidence, you or your advocate will have the chance to ask questions of the insurer.
Submissions hearing. This is when both parties present their closing statements. These statements outline the main points of their case, and are based on a written submission already provided.
The Tribunal decision. The Tribunal will issue a decision as soon as possible following the submissions hearing.

Some cases may also include:

A hearing of evidence from experts. In some cases, the Tribunal will appoint experts to help them understand the technical issues of a claim. This hearing only takes place after your hearing and your insurer’s hearing.
A hearing of other evidence. At any of the pre-hearing conferences, you or your insurer may ask the Tribunal to hear other evidence. For example, you might want your counsellor or a friend to tell the Tribunal about the how the claim has affected you emotionally and psychologically.

When are the hearings held?

You’ll discuss and decide on a timeline for the hearings at the first case management conference.

Where are the hearings held?

All hearings are held at the Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal hearing rooms at the Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct, 20 Lichfield Street, Christchurch.

Who must attend the hearings?

You and your advocate must attend the hearings. The insurer and their advocate must also attend.

You can also bring a support person to the hearing.

Find out more about representation