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Whether you are able to dispute a fine will depend on a number of circumstances. This page will help you with the process depending on the kind of fine you have.
On this page:
If you are not sure what kind of fine you have, call us on 0800 4 FINES or check this page:
Help working out what kind of fine you have
You have 28 days from the day your fine was given in court to appeal it in writing. You can request forms for this from your local district court.
Find a district court near you
If your fine has been filed in court, there are some reasons you can use to challenge the filing and have the fine sent back to the issuing authority (e.g. Police or council) so you can deal with the fine outside of court. It does not cancel the fine.
The reasons are:
The form is called a section 78B application. You can only apply once per fine so please read the form carefully so that you understand the reasons for challenging the fine being sent to the court. You must show that your situation fits one of these reasons to have your application approved.
Download the below application form or ask for one from our staff by calling 0800 4 FINES.
Application to dispute that a fine has been filed in court [PDF, 1.1 MB]
We cannot process the application without:
You must give evidence with your application for it to be approved. The application form has a list of what are good examples of evidence, for example:
You can email it to disputefine@justice.govt.nz, hand it in at your local district court, or send it to us at:
Ministry of Justice
Dispute Fine
SX10042
Wellington
Or:
Find a district court near you
Write the address as written above and send it the same way as any other mail. You can use an NZ Post mail box. If you use a DX mail box your mail will get to us faster.(external link)
We will consider your application and let you know if your application is approved or declined. This can be within 2 working days, but if we need to contact the issuing authority it could take up to 28 days.
It is important to remember that this does not cancel your fine. You need to contact the issuing authority (e.g. Police) within 28 days or they can send the fine back to court.
After your application is approved:
If your application has been declined you can:
This page was last updated: