The New Zealand Parole Board (the Board) is an independent statutory body established on 1 July 2002, under section 108 of the Parole Act 2002. The Board has 36 Members headed by a chairperson, with 19 Judges as panel convenors and 17 non-judicial Members.
Appointments are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Attorney-General.
Former High Court Judge Mr Anthony Ellis QC completed his term as chairperson on 30 June 2005. Judge David Carruthers has been appointed to chair the Board from 1 July 2005.
Hearings before the Board are considered by panels with a minimum of three members and hearings are conducted at each prison at least once a month.
In accordance with the Parole Act 2002, the Board considers cases where offenders are eligible detention, compassionate release, and release at their statutory release date. It does not consider the release of offenders on short-term prison sentences of two years or less, unless they have the court’s leave to apply for front-end home detention.
The date offenders are eligible to be considered by the Board for parole depends on their sentence and this is determined by the Department of Corrections in accordance with section 88 of the Parole Act 2002.
The law in this report is stated as the law as at 30 June 2005. References to legislation in this report are not a substitute for the statutes themselves.