Hunter is an experienced criminal barrister with particular expertise at the appellate level.

He has appeared on a wide range of civil and criminal appeals, the majority as lead counsel in the Court of Appeal.

In the criminal jurisdiction, Hunter has led appeals against conviction, sentence, name suppression decisions and extended supervision orders, where the offences charged have included murder, sexual violation and Class-A drug dealing. He has appeared as lead and junior counsel at trials at all levels.

Before joining the independent bar in 2018, Hunter spent five years at John Miller Law specialising in medico-legal litigation.

Hunter is approved to provide legal aid for criminal trials at PAL3 level and for all matters in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. He is assisted by Riiana Hohaia.

Areas of expertise

  • Examples of Hunter’s recent criminal law experience include:

    • Representing an appellant in the review of sentencing for young people convicted of murder: Dickey, Brown & Epiha v R [2023] NZCA 2.

    • Representing three appellants convicted following Operation Easter, which targeted New Zealand’s largest ever manufacturing operation: Rogers v R [2022] NZCA 39; Lang and Hura v R [2023] NZCA 7.

    • Lead counsel for the appellant on an appeal to the Supreme Court regarding the admission of defence hearsay evidence at a trial for sexual offending: L v R (SC 80/2023 - judgment reserved).

    • Representing three appellants seeking lengthy extensions to appeal life sentences on conviction for murder: Kriel v R [2024] NZCA 45.

    • Representing an appellant on an appeal against a life sentence for murder imposed on a 17-year-old: Lo v R.

  • Examples of Hunter’s recent experience in medico-legal law include:

    • Lead counsel in ACC treatment injury guideline decisions: ACC v Adlam [2016] 3 NZLR 497; Adlam v ACC [2018] 2 NZLR 102 (CA).

    • Lead counsel on the first decision in a common law jurisdiction establishing a link between traumatic brain injury and schizophrenia: EO v ACC [2015] NZACC 333.