Every case tells a story. But understanding what happens in court, a tribunal or disciplinary hearing, and why, can be just as important as the verdict or finding itself.
Hosted by Jane Yee alongside a rotating cast of NZ Herald Open Justice reporters, Case by Case examines the cases, disputes and decisions making headlines across New Zealand.
Case by Case is an Open Justice podcast from the NZ Herald, with support from NZ On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT
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 about the smuggling attempt that led to a four-year, two-month prison sentence. They also explore New Zealand’s growing cocaine market, the links between overseas cartels and local organised crime, and the harm behind the drug’s party reputation.
Case by Case is a New Zealand Herald podcast from the Open Justice team, with support from New Zealand On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
29 Sept 2026
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 Open Justice reporter Brianna McIlraith about the failures uncovered at the facility, the recommendations that followed, and what happened after the rest home changed hands.
They also take a closer look at the Health and Disability Commissioner: what it does, who can make a complaint, and what happens when healthcare providers fall short of the standards patients are entitled to.
Case by Case is a New Zealand Herald podcast from the Open Justice team, with support from New Zealand On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
22 Sept 2026
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 reaching his statutory release date means he must now be freed.
Open Justice reporter Tara Shaskey joins Jane Yee to examine Wilson’s offending, the survivor who attended every parole hearing to oppose his release, and why that exhausting process became a source of both trauma and vindication.
They also explain how New Zealand’s parole system works, what constitutes an “undue risk”, how victims can participate and why being eligible for parole does not mean a prisoner will receive it.
Case by Case is a New Zealand Herald podcast from the Open Justice team, with support from New Zealand On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
15 Sept 2026
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 unpack how sentencing works more broadly, including starting points, uplifts and discounts, the role of victim impact statements, and how judges balance punishment, rehabilitation and public safety.
Case by Case is a New Zealand Herald podcast from the Open Justice team, with support from New Zealand On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
8 Sept 2026
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.
Open Justice reporter Shannon Pitman joins Jane Yee to discuss what the inquest found, the changes already being made in Northland, and why telling the stories of the young people involved matters.
Then, we take a wider look at New Zealand’s coronial system — why an inquest might be held, what a coroner is trying to establish, and how their recommendations can help prevent future deaths.
Where to get help:
• Lifeline (http://www.lifeline.co.nz/): Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline (https://www.lifeline.org.nz/services/suicide-crisis-helpline): Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline (http://www.youthline.co.nz/): Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
• What's Up (http://whatsup.co.nz/): Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
• Depression helpline (http://depression.org.nz/): Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)
• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737
• Aoake te Rā (Bereaved by Suicide Service) (https://www.aoaketera.org.nz/): Call or text 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
1 Sept 2026
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 deported to a country they may barely know, separated from their family, work and support networks? And where should responsibility lie when they offend again?
On this episode of Case by Case, Jane Yee is joined by Open Justice’s Ric Stevens to unpack how Australia’s 501 system works, why it remains a point of tension between the two countries, and what could reduce the risk of reoffending in New Zealand.
Case by Case is a New Zealand Herald podcast from the Open Justice team, with support from New Zealand On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
25 Aug 2026
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, comments, DMs and other online behaviour can cross the line under the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
Case by Case is a New Zealand Herald podcast from the Open Justice team, with support from New Zealand On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
18 Aug 2026
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 by Case, Jane Yee speaks with Open Justice reporters Al Williams and Ric Stevens about the case, how preventive detention works, who can receive it, and why the sentence has raised human rights concerns.
Case by Case is a New Zealand Herald podcast from the Open Justice team, with support from New Zealand On Air.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
11 Aug 2026
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 ERA works, what kinds of cases it hears, how long the process can take and what happens when an employer or employee gets it wrong.
Case by Case is an Open Justice podcast from the New Zealand Herald, made with support from New Zealand On Air.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
4 Aug 2026
How shoplifting became bigger, bolder and more dangerous
A Hamilton mother stole nearly $14,000 worth of vacuum cleaners, perfume, tools and other goods—sometimes simply filling a trolley and walking out. Jane Yee and Open Justice reporter Belinda Feek examine the case, the unusual refund trick she used, and why the judge gave her one final chance.
Then, they look at the changing face of shoplifting in New Zealand: increasingly brazen bulk theft, online resale, growing violence against retail workers, facial recognition technology and the proposed expansion of citizens’ arrest powers.
Case by Case is made with support from NZ On Air
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
28 Jul 2026
Gift or investment? Parents take daughter to court over two homes
A sizeable contribution towards a house deposit led to one crucial question: was the money a gift or an investment?
When parents took their daughter to court over ownership of two properties, judges were left to untangle years of family finances, conflicting memories and messages buried in the family group chat.
NZ Herald Open Justice reporter Hannah Bartlett explains how the dispute reached the Court of Appeal, why money from parents is often presumed to be a gift, and what families, friends and couples should put in writing before buying property together.
Case by Case is made with support from NZ On Air
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
21 Jul 2026
Police go after gang member’s KiwiSaver
Cash in a laundry basket, luxury vehicles and ... a $43,000 KiwiSaver account.
Police are pursuing the assets of a Comancheros member jailed for his involvement in a drug network busted by Operation Avon, they've already seized cash and cars, and now they're after his retirement savings.
NZ Herald Open Justice reporter Ric Stevens explains how proceeds of crime laws work, what happens to assets before a criminal case is resolved, and where the money ends up once it is forfeited to the Crown.
Case by Case is made with support from NZ On Air
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
14 Jul 2026
Tasered with his arms out: Who investigates the police?
When Hamilton scaffolder Caleb Turner was tasered outside a police station, CCTV raised serious questions about what happened next. Open Justice reporter Belinda Feek joins host Jane Yee to examine the complaint and explain how the Independent Police Conduct Authority investigates alleged police misconduct.
Click here (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/hamilton-man-caleb-turner-files-ipca-complaint-after-being-tasered-while-surrendering/F6HYIS2E3JDODLZQQ6WUB36MZY/) to read Belinda's story and watch the CCTV footage detailed in this episode.
Case by Case is an Open Justice podcast for the NZ Herald, made with support from NZ On Air.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
14 Jul 2026
Introducing Case by Case - an Open Justice podcast from NZ Herald
Every case tells a story. But understanding what happens in court, a tribunal or disciplinary hearing, and why, can be just as important as the verdict or finding itself.
Hosted by Jane Yee alongside a rotating cast of NZ Herald Open Justice reporters, Case by Case examines the cases, disputes and decisions making headlines across New Zealand.
New episodes every Tuesday at 5.30PM NZT
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
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