Sentencing Advocacy Competition

The Sentencing Advocacy Competition brought to you by the Ministry of Justice and the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture provides an opportunity for law students to learn how the sentencing process works and to develop their advocacy skills by appearing before Judges of the Auckland High Court.
 
Competitors will be given a fact scenario of a crime committed by a fictional offender, and allocated a role as prosecution or defence.  Adopting courtroom etiquette and attire, they will make submissions to a High Court Judge and respond to questions from the bench.  Their aim will be to persuade the Judge to impose on the offender the sentence they think is not only appropriate, but also most advantageous to their client.  They will be provided with materials to assist their preparation, however, in addition independent research will be required.

The competition consists of a preliminary round held at the Auckland and Hamilton High Courts, and a semi-final and final round held at the Auckland High Court.

Following preliminary rounds in Auckland and Hamilton on 2 August 2018 involving 24 competitors — 16 from the University of Auckland, four from Auckland University of Technology and four from the University of Waikato — eight competitors will be chosen for the semi-final which will be held on 7 August 2018, two of whom will proceed to the final on 14 August 2018.

The final round of the Sentencing Competition is open to the public and will be held in Courtroom 1, Auckland High Court on Tuesday 14 August starting at 6.00pm.  Prizes for the two finalists are sponsored by the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture; the overall winner will receive a $700 cash prize and the runner-up a $300 cash prize. Members are invited to attend. The competition will be followed by refreshments.

Please see 2018 final poster below for full information on the final.