High Court Sentencing Competition

The annual Sentencing Advocacy Competition, sponsored by Te Tāhū o te Ture | the Ministry of Justice and Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture | the New Zealand Bar Association, was hosted at the Auckland High Court and organised by several of the Court’s Judges’ clerks.  The final was held on 1 October 2024 in the historic Courtroom 1 of the Auckland High Court, with Johnstone J presiding.  Both finalists were students from the University of Auckland, with Blake Storrier winning the final and Charlie Harmer as runner-up.  His Honour commented that their performances were “truly excellent”.

The competition gives students from the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, and the University of Waikato, an opportunity to learn how the sentencing process works and to develop their advocacy skills in a courtroom environment before a Judge of the High Court.  It is one of the few competitions involving criminal law and interest in taking part is always high amongst students.

This year, 20 students “appeared” before High Court Judges to make submissions, either on behalf of the Crown or the defence, as to the appropriate sentence for different fictitious defendants.  In the preliminary round, competitors were required to make submissions for a defendant convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, applying the guideline judgment of R v Taueki.  In the semi-final, competitors made submissions for a defendant convicted of dishonest use of a document with intention to obtain pecuniary advantage, requiring them to exercise their research skills further with no guideline judgment.  The fictitious defendant for the final was convicted of manslaughter, arising out of a work hunting trip gone wrong, and raised issues of intoxication and addiction, a guilty plea during trial, and the impact on the defendant’s two children. 

It was a privilege to have Rachael Reed KC representing the Bar Association at the final, a now familiar face at the event, to present the finalists with their certificates.  Ms Reed added to the Judge’s comment about the delicate nature of a sentencing by describing the atmosphere in a courtroom during a sentencing and impressing upon the finalists, and all attendees, the balancing act required of counsel when making submissions in the context of offending involving loss of life.

We would like to thank the Bar Association for their sponsorship, which provides for the prize money, the post-final function, and the associated costs of University of Waikato students travelling up to Auckland for the semi-final and/or final.  We would also like to thank all the staff at the Auckland High Court who assisted, and the Judges who gave their time and invaluable advice to the competitors: Anderson, Becroft, Campbell, O’Gorman and Robinson JJ in the preliminaries; Tahana and Wilkinson-Smith JJ in the semi-finals; and Johnstone J in the final.

Monique Pitt, Judges Clerk