Sentencing: The judge’s decision about punishment

Fines

What’s the difference between a fine and “reparation”?

Sentencing Act 2002, ss 14, 32-38

A fine is a punishment for breaking the law and it is paid to the court.

Reparation is paid to a victim of a crime as compensation for things like damage to property or emotional harm. You can be sentenced to pay both a fine and reparation. If you can’t afford both, the judge must order reparation only, and may order lesser reparations or payments in instalments.

The amount of reparation ordered is usually based on information about the amount of the damage, the costs to the victim, and your ability to pay.

Can I be fined even if I can’t afford to pay?

Sentencing Act 2002, ss 14, 15, 40-44, 55-57; Summary Proceedings Act 1957, ss 81, 82

When setting a fine, the judge has to take into account what you can afford to pay. The judge can require you to make a “declaration as to financial capacity”, giving information about your income (what you earn), assets (what you own, including money and property), liabilities (your debts) and outgoings (your expenses/bills). You can be made to stay at the court for up to two hours so you can make this declaration.

If the judge decides you can’t afford to pay, they may sentence you to a community-based sentence – usually community work. Community work sentences range from 40 to 400 hours.

The judge can also allow you to pay your fine in instalments.

How much time will I be given to pay the fine?

Summary Proceedings Act 1957, ss 82, 83; Sentencing Act 2002, s 42A

The judge can order you to pay a fine straight away if they decide you can afford to do this after you’ve completed a “Declaration of Financial Capacity” saying how much you earn (your income), what money and property you have (your assets), and what you need to spend.

A collections officer (a court employee) will usually talk to you about paying the fine before you leave. If you don’t pay the fine at the court before you leave, you’ll be sent a ‘Notice of Fine’ in the post, which will give you four weeks to pay.

The notice will also include an identifying number that you should quote when dealing with the court about the fine. If you’re unsure of what fine you owe, you can check online at www.justice.govt.nz by searching “fines balance” or phone 0800 4 FINES.

Note: Although the court must send you a “Notice of Fine”, it’s your responsibility to find out whether you’ve been ordered to pay a fine and what your rights and obligations are. In other words, if the courts don’t send you the notice for some reason, you still have to pay the fine by the due date.

What are my options once I get the Notice of Fine from the courts?

Summary Proceedings Act 1957, ss 80-82, 86

You usually have four weeks (28 days) from the date of the “Notice of Fine” to:

  • pay the fine, or
  • ask for more time to pay, or to pay the fine in instalments, or both (you must apply to the District Court registrar, or to a Collections Manager in some courts), or
  • challenge the fine (see “Challenging a fine” section).

An enforcement fee of $102.22 will be added to your fine if you don’t pay it by the due date.

If you ask for more time to pay the fine, or to pay in instalments, you may have to make a declaration of financial capacity setting out your income, assets and expenditure. You may also need to make an initial payment.

You don’t have an automatic right to pay the fine in instalments. The courts will decide whether to let you, and the amount of each instalment. You can be given up to five years’ extra time to pay the fine.

For information about unpaid fines and what the courts can do to enforce them, see “Court processes: How driving offences are dealt with” in “Driving and traffic law”.

Challenging a fine

Overview

There are two ways of challenging a fine, as explained below:

  • You can appeal your fine within a set time limit, the same way as any sentence can be appealed.

If you think the court process (as opposed to the outcome) wasn’t fair, you can apply to the judge to use their discretion to order a rehearing on the ground that there’s been a “miscarriage of justice”. A rehearing means that the court hears the whole case all over again.

Appealing the fine

Criminal Procedure Act 2011, ss 229-232, 244, 247, 248, 250

You can appeal a fine to the High Court by appealing against the decision to find you guilty (appealing your conviction), or appealing against the decision to fine you (appealing your sentence), or both. You can also appeal the amount of the fine.

Usually you have to file your appeal within 20 working days after the judge’s decision to fine you.

How to get a “rehearing” of a fine decision

Criminal Procedure Act 2011, s 177

If the judge fined you after convicting you at a hearing you attended, they have the discretion to order a rehearing, either of the whole case or just of the fine.

When they’re deciding whether to order a rehearing, the main question for the judge is whether there’s been a “miscarriage of justice” – in other words, whether there was something unfair about the process.

This could be, for example, if some of the evidence the judge relied on wasn’t legally allowed to be presented in court (“not admissible”), or if the judge made a mistake in interpreting the relevant law, or if the judge or the prosecution lawyer behaved improperly at the trial.

Criminal Procedure Act 2011, ss 125, 126

If the judge fined you after convicting you in your absence, and you didn’t know the court hearing was happening, you have the right to a rehearing. If you did know about the hearing but couldn’t be there for a good reason or if you have a defence, you can apply for a rehearing.

Next Section | Appeals

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The criminal courts

Where to go for more support

Community Law

www. communitylaw.org.nz

Your local Community Law Centre can provide free initial legal advice and information.

“Lag Law: Your rights inside prison and on release”

https://communitylaw.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Lag-Law-text-2021-1.pdf

Lag Law answers heaps of common questions you might have if you’re going to prison, you’re in prison, or you’re getting out of prison. It talks about your rights in prison, and sets out the laws and rules that affect you when you’re put in prison.

Order hard copies from:
Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley
Phone: (04) 499 2928
Email: laglaw@wclc.org.nz

Ministry of Justice

www.justice.govt.nz/about/publication-finder/

The Ministry of Justice website has a range of pamphlets and other information on topics covered in this chapter. You can access this information online, or you can order hardcopies of the pamphlets from:

Phone: 0800 587 847
Email: publications@justice.govt.nz

Fines

Ministry of Justice Collections Unit – www.justice.govt.nz/fines

Phone: 0800 4 FINES (0800 434 637)
From overseas: +64 4 915 8586
From Australia: 1800 144 239 (toll free)

You can check or pay your fines by phone or online. The website has information about both infringement fines and court-imposed fines, and about reparations. The website also has information about District Court Collections Units.

Department of Internal Affairs – www.passports.govt.nz/what-you-need-to-renew-or-apply-for-a-passport/before-you-travel/

This webpage has information about paying your fines to avoid being stopped at the border.

Phone: 0800 PAYORSTAY (0800 729 677)

“Giving evidence” (Law Society pamphlet)

www.lawsociety.org.nz/about-us/about-our-publications/law-awareness-brochures

This pamphlet is for people who have to give evidence in court as a witness.

You can order hardcopies from the New Zealand Law Society:

Phone: (04) 472 7837
Email: pamphlets@lawsociety.org.nz

Department of Corrections

www.corrections.govt.nz

This website has information:

for offenders

for family and friends of offenders

about the Department of Corrections’ role in the community, including community work, supervision, home detention, and the role of probation officers

about the New Zealand Parole Board.

Victim Notification Register

www.corrections.govt.nz/information_for_victims/victim_notification_register

This page on the Department of Corrections website has information about the victim notification register including, the process, how to apply, information victims can receive and how to make a complaint.

Restorative Practices Aotearoa

www.restorativejusticeaotearoa.org.nz

This website provides information on when Restorative Justice may be appropriate, and where in New Zealand Restorative Justice is available. You can also make an enquiry about Restorative Justice by filling out a form on their website.

Phone: 0800 RJA INC (0800 752 462)

Victim Support

www.victimsupport.org.nz

Victim Support provides 24-hour support services to help New Zealanders rebuild their lives following a trauma or crisis.

Phone: 0800 842 846
Email: nationaloffice@victimsupport.org.nz

Victims Information

www.victimsinfo.govt.nz

This is the website of the government’s “Victims Centre”. The site provides links to a range of services available to help victims deal with the practical and emotional effects of the crime, at each stage of the criminal and youth justice process.

Phone: 0800 650 654

Also available as a book

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