20 July 2026
Paul White
Email: [email address]
Our ref: OIA 133848
Tēnā koe Paul.
Official Information Act request: Daniel Becker
Thank you for your email of 25 June 2026 requesting, under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act), information regarding Daniel Becker.
Specifically, you requested:
• Was Daniel Becker employed by the Public Defence Service?, if so;
• What was his position and the period for which he was employed?
• Did his employment include being involved with criminal defendants, how many
cases were involved and the outcome of these cases?
• Was his prior employment with the NZ Police as a criminal prosecutor?, if so;
• Was he required to inform defendants of this prior employment or if asked was he
required to declare this information?
In response to your request:
Ministry employment records identify a person named Daniel Becker as having been
employed by the Public Defence Service. Those records indicate that:
• Daniel Becker was employed by the Public Defence Service from 2 July 2018 until
28 June 2019.
• His position was Junior Lawyer (PAL1).
• His employment ended following his resignation.
As a Junior Lawyer employed by the Public Defence Service, his role involved criminal
defence work and the provision of legal representation to criminal defendants.
Information regarding the number of matters worked on by Mr Becker and the outcomes of
those matters is refused under section 18(f) of the Of icial Information Act 1982, as the
information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or research.
Information regarding Mr Becker's employment history before joining the Public Defence
Service is withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the Official Information Act 1982 to protect the
privacy of natural persons.
Public Defence Service lawyers are required to comply with the Lawyers and Conveyancers
Act 2006, the Lawyers and Conveyancers (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008,
the PDS Code of Conduct for Lawyers, the PDS Conflicts of Interest Policy, and the Ministry
National Office | 19 Aitken Street |
DX SX10088 | WELLINGTON
W: www.pds.govt.nz
2.
of Justice Code of Conduct. The Ministry of Justice Code of Conduct applies to all PDS
employees, including PDS lawyers.
These obligations require PDS lawyers to act independently, protect client confidentiality,
avoid and appropriately manage conflicts of interest, and act in the best interests of their
clients while complying with their duties to the Court. The PDS Code of Conduct requires
lawyers to keep all information about a client confidential and provides that lawyers must
not act where a conflict of interest or significant risk of conflict arises.
The PDS Conflicts of Interest Policy requires lawyers to identify, assess and manage actual,
potential and perceived conflicts of interest. The policy requires conflict checks to be
undertaken, confidential information to be protected, and where necessary information
barriers to be established, clients to be advised of relevant conflicts, matters to be referred
to the PDS Ethics Committee, or cases to be reassigned.
The Lawyers and Conveyancers (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 require
lawyers to protect and hold in strict confidence al information concerning a client and to
appropriately manage conflicts of interest. These obligations are reflected in both the PDS
Code of Conduct and the PDS Conflicts of Interest Policy.
Whether a lawyer is required to disclose a prior employment relationship depends on the
circumstances of the particular matter and whether that relationship gives rise to an actual,
potential, or perceived conflict of interest requiring management under the Lawyers and
Conveyancers Act 2006, the Lawyers and Conveyancers (Lawyers: Conduct and Client
Care) Rules 2008, and applicable PDS policies.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on
the Ministry website at
: justice.govt.nz/about/official-information-act-requests/oia-
responses/.
If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Act. The Of ice of the Ombudsman may be
contacted by email to [email address] or by phone on 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Peter Hutchinson
Director, Public Defence Service
