Long-term Insights Briefing

Crown Law’s final Long-term Insights Briefing 2025 has been presented to Parliament. The briefing is titled The Future Operations of the Courts and Justice services: Potential implications for the prosecution of serious crime. A copy the final briefing is available here.

It focuses on technological advances in courtrooms and the use of Artificial Intelligence and considers the potential implications for the prosecution of serious crime by Crown prosecutors. It identifies three key insights and outlines strategic choices to be considered.

If you have any questions on the LTIB, you can contact the LTIB project team at LTIBproject@crownlaw.govt.nz

Key insights

  1. Technological solutions are becoming more advanced and increasingly embedded in court processes. By 2045, trials in New Zealand will depend less on paper-based processes and physical courtrooms and more on digital systems and participation from different locations.
  2. By 2045, AI will not simply assist legal work: it will transform it. Crown prosecutors will need to harness the benefits in a way that promotes accountability and trust.
  3. The ability of GenAI to facilitate the production of fake evidence will increase. This will impact the criminal justice system – primarily through evidential and admissibility issues – but could also impact public trust in the system.

What is a Long-term Insights Briefing?

The Public Service Act 2020 requires government departments to think about future trends and opportunities in producing Long-term Insights Briefings every three years. They are not government policy but rather are intended to help inform long-term decision-making, to develop and share insights on the trends, risks and opportunities that affect, or may affect, Aotearoa New Zealand and what will matter most for the future of New Zealanders.

Companion to Ministry of Justice briefing

Crown Law’s briefing is a companion briefing to the Ministry of Justice’s briefing: The Future Operation of the Courts and Justice Services which takes a broader criminal justice system view of the topic.

For the final LTIB prepared by the Ministry of Justice click here.