The music lesson that ended a teacher’s career

A music teacher lost his registration after kissing a student and attempting to kiss her on the lips. The contact continued through messages and another meeting — before the student confided in a friend. Open Justice reporter Brianna McIlraith joins Jane Yee to explain the case of Sungjun Cho, the…

A campervan booking, two suitcases and $619,000 of cocaine

A campervan booking and return flights made it look like an ordinary New Zealand holiday. But hidden in a visitor’s suitcase lining was around $619,000 worth of cocaine — and Customs stopped him before he left the airport. On Case by Case, Jane Yee speaks with Open Justice reporter Ric Stevens abo…

Maggots and missed cancer revealed in damning rest home investigation

A woman was found with maggots in a wound and another's breast cancer went undiagnosed until it was too late. These are just two of four complaints made against a Dannevirke rest home in a major Health and Disability Commissioner investigation. In this episode of Case by Case, Jane Yee speaks with…

Why a Dilworth abuser is walking free after being denied parole seven times

Former Dilworth School teacher and housemaster Ian Wilson has been released from prison after serving his full sentence for sexually abusing former students. Wilson was denied parole seven times, with the Parole Board repeatedly finding he continued to pose an undue risk to the community. But reac…

Why a repeat offender got a 55% sentencing discount

A young offender involved in a violent home invasion received sentencing discounts totalling 55%. Hannah Bartlett from NZ Herald's Open Justice team joins Jane Yee to explain what happened on the night in question and how the court reached a sentence with a 55% discount applied. The pair then unpa…

Six young lives lost - Inside a Northland coronial inquest

This episode contains discussion of suicide. A coronial inquest into the deaths of six young people in Northland identified significant gaps in the support available to rangatahi and their whānau, including poor communication between government agencies and under-resourced mental health services. …

Why do so many 501 deportees reoffend?

A New Zealand-born grandmother who spent 13 years living in Australia has had her visa cancelled and is being deported after serving time for family violence. She is one of thousands of people sent to New Zealand under Section 501 of Australia’s Migration Act. So what happens when someone is depo…

Could your social media posts land you in court?

A man said his livestream behaviour was just an online persona designed to attract viewers. A Family Court judge found it amounted to psychological abuse. On Case by Case, Jane Yee and Open Justice reporter Shannon Pitman look at the case behind the protection order, and explain when posts, commen…

The kidnapping case that could keep an offender behind bars for life

A Christchurch kidnapping and sexual assault has resulted in one of New Zealand’s harshest sentences: preventive detention. The offender had close to 60 previous convictions and had spent decades behind bars. But what makes a judge decide an ordinary prison sentence is no longer enough? On Case b…

What happens when you take your boss to the ERA?

A Queenstown worker took his employer to the Employment Relations Authority after his work ute was replaced with a smaller vehicle he said didn’t meet the terms of his employment deal. Open Justice reporter Brianna McIlraith joins Jane Yee to unpack the unusual dispute, before explaining how the E…