If you are making a second appeal, you go to a different court. You go to the High Court if the first court that made the decision was the District Court. If the High Court made the decision, you can go to either the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court.

If the Court of Appeal made the decision, you go to the Supreme Court for your second appeal. You can find more information about the laws that govern this process, including changes made by the District Court Act 2016, on the government's website. The laws about second appeals are in place to help you navigate the court system.

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This page was last updated on 29 June 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM3360411.

Topics:

Crime and justice > Courts and legal help

237: Right of appeal against determination of first appeal court, or

"You can appeal again if a higher court says you can, to check if something went wrong."

239: How to commence second appeal, or

"Starting a second appeal: how to ask the court to hear your case again"

Part 6Appeals
Appeals against conviction: Further appeals

238Second appeal courts

The second appeal court for an appeal under this subpart is—
the High Court, if the appeal is against a determination of the District Court; or
either the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court, if the appeal is against a determination of the High Court; or
the Supreme Court, if the appeal is against a determination of the Court of Appeal.

Notes

Section 238(a): amended, on 1 March 2017, by section 261 of the District Court Act 2016 (2016 No 49).