Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Crimes Act 1961

Punishments - Fine

19: Enforcement of fines by High Court

You could also call this:

“The High Court can make people pay fines and can take special actions to make sure the fines are paid.”

When the High Court gives you a fine, they use rules from another law called the Summary Proceedings Act to make you pay it. The High Court can do different things to make sure you pay, like putting a charge on your property or selling it.

If you don’t pay your fine, the High Court might make you do community work, stay at home, or even go to prison. If this happens, you can ask a higher court, called the Court of Appeal, to check if the punishment is fair.

The High Court can only send you to prison for not paying a fine for up to 2 years, or less if your original crime had a shorter maximum prison time.

The High Court can also make you pay fines that the District Court gave you before. They use the same rules as for their own fines.

People who work at the courts, like Registrars and bailiffs, can help enforce these fines. There’s a fee you have to pay if you don’t pay your fine on time.

The government can share information about fines you haven’t paid with certain people or organisations.

When the law talks about fines from the High Court, it sometimes uses words that usually mean District Court things. In these cases, you should think of them as meaning High Court things instead.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM328088.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal law
Crime and justice > Courts and legal help
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Part 2 Punishments
Fine

19Enforcement of fines by High Court

  1. If the High Court imposes 1 or more fines, Part 3 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 applies to the fine or fines, subject to any necessary modifications and subject to the modifications in subsections (2) to (5).

  2. Without limiting the actions that the High Court may take under Part 3 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 in relation to the fine or fines, the High Court may make any orders that it thinks fit, including a charging order or sale order in relation to the offender's real property.

  3. To avoid doubt, section 88A of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 does not apply if the High Court makes, in accordance with subsection (2), a charging order or sale order in relation to real property.

  4. If an offender is sentenced by the High Court to community work, community detention, or home detention under section 88AE(1) of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 or is imprisoned under a warrant of commitment issued under that section,—

  5. section 89(2) and (3) of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 apply with any necessary modifications as if—
    1. the references in those subsections to a District Court Judge were references to a High Court Judge; and
      1. the reference to the High Court was a reference to the Court of Appeal; and
      2. sections 244 and 250 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 and any other relevant provisions of that Act relating to appeals against sentence apply with any necessary modifications.

        1. Despite section 90 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957, the period of imprisonment that the High Court may impose on the offender for the non-payment of 1 or more fines must not exceed, for each fine, the lesser of—

        2. the maximum term of imprisonment to which the offender was liable on the conviction; or
          1. a period of 2 years.

            1. If the High Court enforces 1 or more fines under this section, the court may, at the same time, enforce any outstanding fine or fines imposed on the offender by the District Court.

            2. For the purposes of subsection (6), the outstanding fine or fines imposed by the District Court must be treated as if the fine or fines were imposed by the High Court and, in accordance with subsection (1), Part 3 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 applies to the fine or fines, subject to—

            3. any necessary modifications; and
              1. the modifications in subsections (2) and (4), but not the modification in subsection (5), if the outstanding fine or fines were imposed in the District Court.

                1. A Registrar of the District Court or of the High Court may exercise any jurisdiction and powers conferred on a Registrar of the District Court by Part 3 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 in respect of the fine or fines imposed by the High Court to which, under subsection (1), that Part applies.

                2. A bailiff of the District Court may exercise any jurisdiction and powers conferred on a bailiff of the District Court by Part 3 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 in respect of the fine or fines imposed by the High Court to which, under subsection (1), that Part applies.

                3. The amount of the fee payable if default is made in the payment of 1 or more fines imposed by the High Court to which, under subsection (1), Part 3 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 applies is the same as that prescribed by regulations, made under the Summary Proceedings Act 1957, in respect of enforcement action taken under that Act to enforce the fine or fines.

                4. To avoid doubt, sections 92A to 92I of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 apply, subject to any necessary modifications, to any fine or fines imposed by the High Court, and accordingly, the chief executive of the Ministry of Justice may, among other things authorised by those sections, disclose information about default balances relating to such fine or fines in accordance with those sections.

                5. For the purposes of this section, and subject to subsection (4), any reference in Part 3 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 to—

                6. a court is, unless the context otherwise requires, taken to be a reference to the High Court; and
                  1. a District Court Judge is, unless the context otherwise requires, taken to be a reference to a High Court Judge; and
                    1. a Registrar is, unless the context otherwise requires, taken to be a reference to a Registrar of the High Court or of the District Court and includes a Deputy Registrar.

                      1. In this section, fine has the meaning given to it in section 79 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957.

                      Notes
                      • Section 19: replaced, on , by section 4 of the Crimes Amendment Act (No 2) 2011 (2011 No 34).
                      • Section 19(4)(b): replaced, on , by section 6 of the Crimes Amendment Act (No 4) 2011 (2011 No 85).
                      • Section 19(6): amended, on , by section 261 of the District Court Act 2016 (2016 No 49).
                      • Section 19(7): replaced, on , by section 6 of the Crimes Amendment Act (No 4) 2011 (2011 No 85).
                      • Section 19(8): amended, on , by section 261 of the District Court Act 2016 (2016 No 49).
                      • Section 19(9): amended, on , by section 261 of the District Court Act 2016 (2016 No 49).
                      • Section 19(12)(c): amended, on , by section 261 of the District Court Act 2016 (2016 No 49).