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[email address] | www.justice.govt.nz
12 April 2022
Oscar
[FYI request #18936 email]
Our ref: OIA 94530
Tēnā koe Oscar
Official Information Act request: Name suppression data
Thank you for your email of 20 March 2022 requesting, under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act), information regarding name suppression. Specifically, you requested:
a breakdown from the past 5 years of the following statistics.
•
For each year, the number of permanent name suppression orders separated into convicted and
discharged persons.
•
Number of name suppression orders grouped by crime charged with.
•
Number of permanent name suppression orders that were appealed by the crown or the media,
with the appeal results and what the charged crime was.
The information you have requested is set out in the four tables attached to this letter.
In response to part one of your request, please refer to
Table 1a and
Table 1b attached. Table
1a shows the number of convicted defendants that have been granted permanent name
suppression, by calendar year between 2017 – 2021. Table 1b shows the number of
discharged defendants that have been granted permanent name suppression, by calendar year
between 2017 – 2021.
In response to part two of your request, please refer to
Table 2 attached. Table 2 shows the
number of defendants that have been granted permanent name suppression, by charge type
and calendar year between 2017– 2021. The data is broken down by charge using Australian
and New Zealand Standard Of ence Classification (ANZSOC) group. ANZSOC is used to
categorise offences into 16 divisions, within which further subdivisions and groups exist. More
information on ANZSOC can be found at www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/1234.0.
In response to part three of your request, please refer to
Table 3 attached. Table 3 shows the
number of criminal appeals against permanent name suppression that were disposed of in the
High Court and Court of Appeal, broken down by appeal outcome, for the calendar years 2017
– 2021. The Ministry of Justice (the Ministry) cannot provide you with information regarding
charge type as the data is not recorded to that level of detail. I am therefore refusing that part of
your request under section 18(g)(i) of the Act, as the information is not held by the Ministry and
is not believed to be held by another agency.
If you are not satisfied with my response, you have the right to complain to the Ombudsman
under section 28(3) of the Act. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at
[email address].
Nāku, noa nā
Jan Morison
Acting Manager, Ministerial Relations and Services
Table 1a: Number of convicted defendants that have been granted permanent name
suppression, by calendar year between 2017 - 2021
Court type
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
District Court
203
165
171
180
151
High Court
2
3
5
7
2
Total
205
168
176
187
153
Notes for Table 1a:
• This data may differ from previously released or published data. This data was extracted
from the Court’s Case Management System as at 25 March 2022.
• A person is counted once per year. When a person is convicted of more than one offence in
a year, the details of the most serious charge are included in the statistics.
• Year is the calendar year in which the direction was made. Calendar years start in January and
end in December.
Table 1b: Number of discharged defendants that have been granted permanent name
suppression, by calendar year between 2017 - 2021
Court type
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
District Court
137
134
123
129
131
High Court
2
4
2
3
7
Total
139
138
125
132
138
Notes for Table 1b:
• This data may differ from previously released or published data. This data was extracted
from the Court’s Case Management System as at 25 March 2022.
• A person is counted once per year. When a person is convicted of more than one offence in
a year the details of the most serious charge are included in the statistics.
• Year is the calendar year in which the direction was made. Calendar years start in January and
end in December.
• 'Discharged' represents the number of people not convicted, which includes charge
outcomes of withdrawn, dismissed, acquitted and discharged without conviction.
Table 2: Number of defendants that have been granted permanent name suppression, by
ANZSOC group, by calendar year between 2017 – 2021.
ANZSOC group
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
01: Homicide and related offences
4
2
2
7
5
02: Acts intended to cause injury
110
80
75
66
50
03: Sexual assault and related offences
106
110
105
101
120
04: Dangerous or negligent acts endangering persons
19
12
9
21
8
05: Abduction, harassment and other offences against the
11
13
12
13
8
person
06: Robbery, extortion and related offences
3
4
4
5
4
07: Unlawful entry with intent/burglary, break and enter
1
4
4
9
5
08: Theft and related offences
11
6
8
9
5
09: Fraud, deception and related offences
9
12
15
10
12
10: Illicit drug offences
13
7
13
12
11
11: Prohibited and regulated weapons and explosives
5
3
4
8
7
offences
12: Property damage and environmental pollution
6
14
7
4
6
13: Public order offences
13
11
17
28
20
14: Traffic and vehicle regulatory offences
9
5
9
9
10
15: Offences against justice procedures, government
18
17
12
10
14
security and government operations
16: Miscellaneous offences
6
6
5
7
6
Notes for Table 2:
• This data may differ from previously released or published data. This data was extracted from the
Court’s Case Management System as at 25 March 2022.
• A person is counted once per year. When a person is convicted of more than one offence in
a year, the details of the most serious charge are included in the statistics.
• Year is the calendar year in which the direction was made. Calendar years start in January
and end in December.
Table 3: Number of criminal appeals against permanent name suppression that were
disposed in each court type, by appeal outcome, by calendar year between 2017 - 2021
Disposed in Year
Court type
Appeal outcome
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
High Court
Abandoned
8
7
10
8
8
Withdrawn
0
1
0
0
1
Granted by Consent
1
0
0
0
0
Struck out
0
0
1
0
0
Allowed
5
7
8
11
5
Granted
1
3
0
1
0
Allowed in Part
0
0
2
0
3
Dismissed
12
14
28
14
16
Total
27
32
49
34
33
Court of Appeal Abandoned
0
3
6
10
6
Allowed
2
1
0
3
3
Allowed in Part
0
1
0
0
3
Dismissed
3
5
9
5
7
Not classified
0
0
0
0
2
Total
5
10
15
18
21
Al court types
Total
32
42
64
52
54
Notes for Table 3:
• This data may differ from previously released or published data. This data was extracted from the
Court’s Case Management System as at 25 March 2022.
• A person is counted once per year. When a person is convicted of more than one offence in a year, the
details of the most serious charge are included in the statistics.
• Any criminal appeals against suppressions cover the following appeal types:
o Suppression
o Conviction, Sentence and Suppression
o Conviction and Suppression
o Pre-trial ruling and Suppression
o SG Sentence and Suppression
o Suppression and Pre-trial ruling
o Suppression and Bail
Document Outline
