Definitions

Question 1

Define Evidence?

Answer 1

“Evidence” is the term for the whole body of material which a court or tribunal – ie in criminal cases the Judge or jury – may take into account in reaching their decision.

Question 2

What is admissible evidence?

Answer 2

Evidence is admissible if it is legally able to be received by a court.

Question 3

What is evidential relevance?

Answer 3

Evidence is relevant “if it has a tendency to prove or disprove anything that is of consequence to the determination of a proceeding” (s7(3)of the Evidence Act 2006).

Question 4

What are ‘Facts in Issue’?

Must Know

Answer 4

Facts in issue are those which:
* the prosecution must prove to establish the elements of the offence, or
* the defendant must prove to succeed with a defence, in respect of which he or she carries the burden of proof

Question 5

What are exclusionary rules?

Answer 5

These are rules that exclude evidence (usually because it is unreliable, unduly prejudicial or otherwise unfair to admit it).

Question 6

The “weight” of evidence is its value in relation to the facts in issue. The value will depend on a wide range of factors. What are these factors?

Must Know

Answer 6

• the extent to which, if accepted, it is directly relevant to or conclusive of, those facts
• the extent to which it is supported or contradicted by other evidence produced
• the veracity of the witness.

Question 7

What is does offering evidence mean?

Answer 7

Evidence must be elicited before it is “offered”: Merely putting a proposition to a witness is not offering evidence; it becomes so when the witness accepts the proposition – s96(1) of the Evidence Act 2006. Offering evidence in the Evidence Act 2006 includes eliciting evidence by cross-examination of a witness called by another party.

Question 8

What is said about giving evidence?

Answer 8

“Giving evidence” is included in “offering evidence”: a witness “gives evidence”; a party “offers evidence”. A party who testifies both gives and offers evidence.

Question 9

What is the first way that evidence may be given?

Answer 9

• in the ordinary way either orally in a courtroom in the presence of a judge (or judge and jury), parties to the proceeding, counsel, and members of the public allowed by the judge; or in an affidavit filed in court or by reading a written statement in a courtroom, if both prosecution and defence consent, the statement is admissible, and it is the personal statement of the deponent or maker;

Question 10

What is the second way that evidence may be given?

Answer 10

* in an alternative way – in the courtroom but unable to see the defendant or other person; outside the courtroom; or by video recording made before the hearing. The Courts (Remote Participation) Act 2010 provides for audio and visual communication between participants (by audio-visual link), when some or all of them are not physically present at the place of hearing for all or part of the proceeding. The criteria under that Act does not limit the operation of ss103-106 of the Evidence Act 2006, which provides for applications and directions regarding alternative ways of giving evidence;

Question 11

What is the third way that evidence may be given?

Answer 11

• in any other way provided for by the Evidence Act 2006 or any other
  relevant enactment.

Question 12

Define incriminate?

Answer 12

To incriminate is to provide information that is reasonably likely to lead to, or
increase the likelihood of, the prosecution of a person for a criminal offence

Question 13

Define proceeding?

Answer 13

This means a proceeding conducted by a court, and any application to a court
connected with a proceeding.

Question 14

Define statement?

Answer 14

This is a spoken or written assertion by a person, or non-verbal conduct of a
person intended by that person as an assertion of any matter

Question 15

Define witness?

Answer 15

This is a person who gives evidence and is able to be cross-examined in a proceeding.

Question 16

Define a hearsay statement?

Answer 16

This is a statement that was made by a person other than a witness, and is
offered in evidence in the proceeding to prove the truth of its contents. This
definition means that out-of-court statements made by a “witness” are not
excluded by the hearsay rule because the maker is available to be crossexamined. Such statements may still be excluded by a different rule. A statement offered for some purpose other than proving the truth of its contents, for example merely to show that the statement was made or uttered, is not a hearsay statement.

Question 17

Define veracity?

Answer 17

This is the disposition of a person to refrain from lying, whether generally or
in a proceeding.

Question 18

Define propensity evidence?

Answer 18

Propensity evidence is evidence about a person’s propensity to act in a particular way or have a particular state of mind, and includes evidence of acts, omissions, events or circumstances with which a person is alleged to have been involved.

Question 19

Define direct evidence?

Answer 19

This is any evidence given by a witness as to a fact in issue that he or she has seen, heard or otherwise experienced (e.g. an eyewitness who states that she saw the defendant stab the complainant
with a knife).

Question 20

Define circumstantial evidence?

Answer 20

This is evidence of circumstances that do not directly prove any fact in issue, but which allow inferences about the existence of those facts to be drawn

Question 21

Define enforcement agency?

Answer 21

This refers to the New Zealand Police or any body or organisation that has a
statutory responsibility for the enforcement of an enactment, including the New Zealand Customs Service, the Ministry of Fisheries and the Inland Revenue Department.