Stories by Anneke Smith
News
Newstalk ZB payout to fund Māori Party election campaign
A settlement payout over defamatory claims Mike Hosking made on air about John Tamihere will help fund the Māori Party's election campaign.
Pandemic offers courts 'once in a lifetime' chance for overhaul
Significant changes are afoot in the country's largest and busiest court as a special group finalises its recommendations to make the justice system more efficient.
Judge questions legal basis for compassionate exemptions ban
A judge has questioned the legality of the government's ban on managed isolation exemptions after a man was denied the chance to farewell his dying father.
Jami-Lee Ross appears in court ahead of electoral fraud trial
A trial date for former National Party MP Jami-Lee Ross and three businessman has been set.
Renewed call for Key to apologise over 'jihadi brides' claim
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it's not her place to decide if Sir John Key should apologise over false claims brides were leaving New Zealand for ISIS in 2015.
Team NZ and NZME go head-to-head in court
A stoush over whether a report into the financial management of America's Cup should be publicised has been heard in the High Court.
Justice system struggling with massive jury trial backlog
Defendants awating trial by jury are facing months of delays as courts grapple with backlogs caused by Covid-19.
Family Court changes to come into force today
The chair of an independent review into the Family Court says today's reforms are only the start of what needs to change in the family justice system.
Physical APEC cancellation 'a blow' to Auckland and NZ - business chamber
It will be difficult to leverage any real economic gains from a virtual APEC, Auckland's Business Chamber says.
Pilot defends abilities in inquest six years after crash
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed near Wanaka - killing a man - has defended his training and abilities in a coronial inquest.
Name suppression argued in Young Labour camp case
The man at the centre of the Young Labour summer camp scandal will be unfairly vilified as a sexual predator if publicly identified, his lawyer has argued.
Massey police shooting: Accused appears in court
A woman charged with being an accessory to the alleged murder of Constable Matthew Hunt has appeared in court.
Man admits role in syndicate that imported a tonne of drugs
A Chilean national has admitted his role in an international drug syndicate that imported over a tonne of illegal drugs.
Ukraine busts Chch attack-inspired neo-Nazi cell - claims
Ukraine's secret service is claiming to have stopped a neo-Nazi cell during its investigation into the distribution of the Christchurch terrorist's so-called manifesto.
Inquest ends six years after death in cell: 'It's been a long struggle'
The mother of a young man who died in an Auckland police cell six years ago says it has been a long wait for answers.
British man jailed for possessing meth for supply
A British national has been jailed for more than nine years for his role in an international drug syndicate that imported nearly 200kg of methamphetamine into New Zealand.
Inquest into death of man in police cell resumes
A coronial inquest into the death of a young man in an Auckland police cell more than six years ago is under way again.
Man pleads guilty to accessory after the fact in murder of Bao Chang Wang
One of four men charged over the death of a man found buried in a shallow grave near Tongariro has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder.
Man accused of murdering baby pleads not guilty
A man accused of murdering a three-month-old baby during the alert level 4 lockdown has pleaded not guilty.
Police treated protection request during lockdown as OIA
Police have been forced to apologise to a woman after mishandling an information request for an urgent protection order during the lockdown.
Auckland man who murdered mother jailed for at least 14 years
A West Auckland man who murdered his mother with a hammer has been jailed for at least 14 years.
Tortured and murdered: Pair jailed for life for teen's death
Two people who tortured and murdered a teenager at derelict house in South Auckland have been jailed for life.
Homicide, sexual assault charges plummet during lockdown
The number of homicide, robbery and sexual violence charges all sharply dropped during the nationwide level 4 lockdown.
NZME, Nine clash over exclusivity in High Court
The judge has reserved her decision after NZME and Stuff's owner Nine butted heads over whether they were still in an exclusive negotiation period or not.
Covid-19: Courts work through Monday reopening at level 2
The Chief Justice is considering how courts could run socially-distanced jury trials later this year.