New Zealand adopts the system of multiple trials.

New Zealand's judicial system originated in Britain, and its political system is the separation of powers. The sources of law are parliamentary legislation and case law. The court system in New Zealand is divided into four levels: the District Court (lower court), the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council. The local court usually has about 300 judges, and the daily affairs are decided by the local court. The local courts mainly hear cases involving criminal, civil and family disputes, and usually hear criminal cases of imprisonment for more than three months and financial disputes of less than S $200,000. The High Court mainly accepts some cases of violence and property disputes of S $200,000. The High Court may retry the case of the District Court. There is only one court of appeal, which belongs to the highest judicial organ of the country and accepts criminal and civil appeals from the High Court, as well as appeals from family courts and local courts. The Court of Appeal has five judges. The appeal procedure of cases in New Zealand is roughly as follows: those who refuse to accept the judgment of the local court can appeal to the High Court, and those who refuse to accept the judgment of the High Court can appeal to the Court of Appeal until they appeal to the Privy Council. Except for some small compensation cases without lawyers (the subject matter is below S $65,438+0,000) (the public prosecutor of small cases is usually a senior police officer), all cases are conducted by lawyers, that is, both the prosecution and the defense are lawyers, and the lawyer representing the police is a national lawyer (the police are responsible for providing information to lawyers and lawyers conduct litigation).

Except for some minor criminal cases, the court adopts jury trial system in criminal cases. 12 Jury In a criminal case, the defendant or the defendant's defense lawyer may have the right to ask for withdrawal if he thinks that a juror's participation in the jury may be unfavorable to him. There is no jury in the local court to handle minor criminal cases, but the defendant has the right to appeal to the court with jury. If the defendant pleads guilty or hears an appeal, there is no need for a jury. Anyone who has the right to vote (except those with criminal history and mental illness) is obliged to serve as a jury. The jury has the right to determine the facts of the crime and determine the defendant's guilt or innocence according to the debate between the prosecution lawyer and the defense lawyer. Judges are responsible for making judgments on how to apply the law and how to sentence. There are no specialized courts in the courts of New Zealand, and criminal and civil cases are directly tried by judges.

Judges have a prominent position in New Zealand. The Chief Justice is recommended by the Prime Minister, and the judges of the High Court are recommended by the Minister of Justice and appointed by the Governor. Once appointed as a judge, he is not allowed to participate in political party activities to show justice. Judges have the right to interpret laws and the Chief Justice has the right to interpret the Constitution. When the judge enters the court, all the people present must stand up to show their respect for the judge. When the Governor is unable to perform his duties for some reason, the Chief Justice can act for the Governor. Judges are paid more than government officials and have a special vacation system. Judges are appointed by the government from private lawyers. Only lawyers with more than 7 years' experience can be appointed as district judges. Once appointed, a judge is for life. In short, the political status, economic treatment and social status of judges in New Zealand are quite high.

In New Zealand, trial activities are mainly conducted in courts. Before the trial, the judge did not do any pre-trial work except reading the indictment, but met the defendant at the trial. If the defendant pleads guilty in court, the judge will make a judgment based on the lawyer's evidence and debate. If the defendant pleads not guilty, the jury will be invited to attend the next hearing. The jury is responsible for deciding the facts of the crime and whether it is guilty or not. The judge explains the law to the jury and makes a judgment according to the jury's verdict. During the trial, witnesses are questioned and evidence is provided by lawyers, and the judge mainly listens to the testimony and debate of lawyers from both sides in court.

In New Zealand, light punishment and fine punishment are the mainstream of the penalty imposed by the court. Generally speaking, sentences of less than three years are mostly suspended; You can go to work as usual on five working days sentenced to hard labor and only work on two rest days. Fines usually account for about 80% of fines.