Prior to joining Luke Cunningham Clere, Chris worked as a Crown prosecutor in Christchurch and Dunedin. He has also worked for Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Justice, and for NZ Police as a rural prosecutor.
Chris’s background is in both the jury and judge alone trial jurisdictions. He has prosecuted serious drug, violence and sexual offending in both the District and High Courts.
Alongside his trial work, Chris is also an appellate litigator. Chris has undertaken a substantial number of criminal appeals in the High Court, as well as several in the Court of Appeal as lead counsel.
Chris has advised and represented various government departments and agencies, including Customs, Immigration New Zealand and the Department of Corrections.
Chris is currently completing post-graduate study in Bioethics and Health Law.
Recent and notable work:
Successfully seeking the imposition of preventive detention on behalf of the Crown: R v DK [2017] NZHC 2291.
Lead prosecutor for jury trial involving serious methamphetamine supply and firearms offending: R v DW CRI-2018-012-002473.
Representing NZ Police in successfully opposing a complex appeal under the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act: K v Police [2021] NZHC 3539.
Lead prosecutor for trial of a high-profile case of blackmail involving threats to disclose intimate photos on social media, resulting in conviction: R v H [2022] NZDC 1236.
Lead counsel for three jury trials involving sexual violation offending in 2023: R v MP CRI-2021-090-004749; R v ZB [2023] NZDC 18094; R v IM [2023] NZDC 11303.
Assisting the District Court as amicus curiae in a complex multi-day trial under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act: Ministry of Health v IK [2024] NZDC 4207.
Other:
Classified as intermediate counsel by Crown Law in 2021.
Certified by the Ministry of Justice to act as lead counsel for appeals to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in 2023.
Appointed as the acting Public Defender for West Auckland in 2024.
Appointed to sit on a Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) for a health regulator in 2024.
Invited as guest lecturer on the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act to University of Otago undergraduate law students in 2025.