Ian Murray LLB (Hons) BA University of Otago Principal, Luke Cunningham and Clere

In addition to the recent release of his new book A Practical Guide to Criminal Procedure in New Zealand last year, Ian Murray celebrated another milestone in his career - 17 years as a Crown Prosecutor.

From his youth in Hawkes Bay to his education at the University of Otago (a diehard Scarfie), and as Crown Prosecutor in both the North and the South Islands, Ian hasn’t questioned his choice of criminal law.

When asked what draws him to this practice area, Ian’s response is the "human rawness" of an area he sees as key to the fabric of an orderly civil society. Distilled down, criminal law determines how people are treated by the state and by one another.

It’s no surprise to learn that when Ian looks back on his career milestones that stand out in particular are when he made senior Crown Prosecutor, and further back, his first Jury trial and first solo appearance in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

The significance of his everyday work and its potential effects on the real lives of the people who rely on him for justice is not lost on Ian. To survive the stress and intensity of his career, Ian employs coping mechanisms that include leaving his job at work, and a heavy involvement in athletics. In addition to running upwards of 60kms a week Ian is active on the Board of Athletics, promoting athletics across the Wellington region.

He also counts on his two sons who keep him busy, as well as his wife, a police officer he met in 2009 and married in January – another milestone! Ian is thankful of the assistance of the people he’s worked with in the past and who have mentored him as he developed as a prosecutor, such as Grant Burston, Kate, Feltham, Cameron Mander, recently appointed judge of the High Court, Mark O’ Donoghue and Peter Hobbs, a Judge of the District Court.

Ian sees the value of A Practical Guide to Criminal Procedure in New Zealand as the timely and pragmatic content it provides. Following the recent changes to the Criminal Procedure Act, this book is designed to help practitioners through what Ian acknowledges is an unsettling period. He is still hopeful that the changes to the Act will fulfill on its promise to reduce time and cost and provide early resolution.

Unlike some other practice area books, A Practical Guide to Criminal Procedure is not a textbook but rather, as the title states, a “practical guide”, founded on Ian’s experience. This experience started with his time as a contributor to the Criminal Procedure (Simplification) project, on which he worked jointly with the Ministry of Justice and the Law Commission. The result is a text that gives the criminal practitioner what they would want and need to have on hand during preparations, and even take into court: all the pertinent information (with commentary,) easily navigable by topic with secondary legislation of rules and regulations.

Ian will contribute to updating the Laws of New Zealand criminal procedure sections, as well as the Becroft and Halls Transport Law loose-leaf. In another milestone, he will also present an educational webinar jointly run by LexisNexis and CCH: Criminal Procedure in New Zealand: The good, the bad and the ugly.