Criminal Cases Review Commission (New Zealand)

The New Zealand Criminal Cases Review Commission, or CCRC, Māori: Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, is a Statutory Crown Entity that was established by the Criminal Cases Review Commission Act 2019 to investigate potential miscarriages of justice. If the Commission considers a miscarriage may have occurred, it can refer the case back to the Court of Appeal to be reconsidered.

The Commission was established on 1 July 2020. It replaces the referral function of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy whereby the Governor-General, following a review of the case by the Ministry of Justice, could recommend the Appeal Court reconsider the case. The Governor-General still has the authority to grant a free or conditional pardon, suspend the execution of any sentence, or remit a sentence, whereas the CCRC does not have such powers.

The need for an independent commission arose because of a growing number of high profile miscarriages of justice in New Zealand and concerns that the Ministry of Justice is not independent of the Crown or the judiciary, with the result that the granting of pardons by the Governor-General has been extremely rare in New Zealand. The last person to receive such a pardon was Arthur Allan Thomas in 1979. Since 1995, only 15 cases out of 166 applications for the RPM were sent back to the courts for further consideration.

The Commission is based in Hamilton in order to increase its independence from the Crown and government agencies in Wellington and Auckland. It is governed by a board of appointed commissioners. It employs specialist staff with the mandate to investigate possible miscarriages of justice, but does not decide innocence or guilt. The National Party opposed its establishment, and in 2024, appointed a retired judge as head of the Commission, potentially undermining its independence.