1. Enter your search terms in the boxes or select from a drop-down list where available. If you fill in more than one box, results must meet all criteria. Try to make the search as specific as possible since the database contains many decisions.
2. Click on SEARCH once you have entered all your criteria.
This field searches the entire text of the decision. To find an exact match of your phrase, enclose the phrase in quotation marks " ". Use this field to search for a file number when only part of the file number is known, e.g., "CRI 2007"
The main search field is different from the other search fields. Use it to search the full text of the document. Type a word or words as outlined below.
| Operator | Example | Result |
| AND (either actual or implied) |
1. burglary and aggravated and assault OR 2. burglary aggravated assault |
Finds decisions containing 'burglary' and 'aggravated' and 'assault'. |
| " " | "aggravated assault" | Finds decisions containing the phrase "aggravated assault" |
| OR | knife OR gun | Finds decisions containing 'knife' or 'gun' or both. |
| NOT | burglary NOT assault | Finds decisions containing 'burglary' but not 'assault'. |
| * | aggravat* | Finds decisions containing 'aggravating', 'aggravated', 'aggravation', etc. This can be used in combination with quotation marks in a phrase search. |
| Case Name | Names of plaintiff(s) and defendant(s). Use surnames for individuals. |
| Court | The Court jurisdiction in which the decision was handed down, e.g., 'HIGH COURT'. You can choose this from a drop-down list. |
| Location | The location of the Court, e.g., 'Wellington'. This is not required when searching for Supreme Court or Court of Appeal decisions. |
| Decision Date | The date of judgment, represented by the day, month and year. |
| Judicial Officer(s) | The judicial officer(s) who heard the decision. Use surname. To narrow the search you may add a court jurisdiction or location. |
| File Number | File Number assigned by the Court. The full file number must be entered in this field, e.g., CIV-2012-485-001662. If you don't have the full file number, enter the details you have into the main Search field using " ". |
| Counsel / Appearances | Counsel or the representatives of the parties involved. Use surname. |
| Neutral Citation | Unique identifier for a judgment, e.g., [2013] NZSC 1 |