Shannon Pitman is an Open Justice court reporter based in Whangārei covering the Northland Courts.
With a keen interest in unravelling the intricacies of legal proceedings, Shannon is committed to ensuring transparency and accessibility in the justice system. Shannon holds whakapapa to Ngāpuhi, Ngātiwai, and Ngāti Pūkenga, grounding her work in a deep understanding of the local community and its values. This connection to her roots fosters a sense of responsibility in her reporting, ensuring that stories are told with cultural sensitivity and respect. Her focus on crime and justice reporting stems from a genuine belief in the importance of holding institutions accountable and giving a voice to those affected by legal processes. Through her work, Shannon strives to bridge the gap between the legal system and the public, demystifying complex legal proceedings and fostering a greater understanding of the issues at hand. As an Open Justice court reporter, her commitment to excellence in reporting, coupled with her cultural awareness and digital media expertise, sets her apart as a valuable contributor to the field of crime and justice journalism in Te Tai Tokerau. You can contact Shannon at shannon.pitman@nzme.co.nz.

Youth residence worker loses $29,000 payout after pushing a teen who called her a 's***'
The incident occurred at a youth residence in March 2021 over a missing pen.

'I didn't do it': Convicted rapist's outburst as judge delivers 31 guilty verdicts
Five ex-partners testified he raped, beat, and assaulted them.

'She told me lies': Luxury resort CEO says ex-manager's actions were 'terrifying'
Operations manager Belle Mumby allegedly forged CEO Jing Ma's signature to claim overtime.

'It's just so serious': Teen set residential home on fire after fight over his phone
Greenway Trust in Dargaville supports individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Tenant moved out then sublet rental without telling landlord
She failed to provide a tenancy agreement and a gang member showed up to collect rent.

'No one to save me': Woman claims before trial suddenly halted
Complainant alleges the abuse began the day she came into the man's care.

Cannabis advocate's supporters rally as 'Gandalf' appears in court
Paul Smith, known as ‘Gandalf’, faces new charges in Whangārei District Court.

'Trying to survive': Woman alleges years of daily sexual violence by 'sadistic' ex
The man is defending physical and sexual violence allegations made by five exes.

German tourist stabbed by drunk man who couldn't find his car keys
Kenneth Green swung a knife 35 times, stabbing the victim he had been drinking with twice.

'Every day I hear his music': Family mourn hip-hop artist as killer driver jailed
She had three chances to rectify her bad driving before the fatal crash occurred - Crown.

'I felt trapped': Woman says partner raped her three weeks after childbirth
Four ex-partners have alleged they were raped and physically abused by the man.

Woman claims ex forced her into pregnancy, raped and threatened to cut her throat
The woman described the few months she lived with the man as the worst time of her life.

'Aroha mai': Murder-accused apologises to grieving whānau after denying charge
Archibald McKenzie's body was found in a Kawakawa car park last month.

'He played two people': Woman says allegedly abusive ex wrapped wire around his own neck
She warned other women about him on social media, saying he was psychologically abusive.

'I could see my lifeless body': Woman recalls moment ex allegedly held her underwater
She is one of five women the man, who is now on trial, allegedly abused over 15 years.

Meth dealer with 23-year addiction praised for rehabilitation efforts
Brian Tito was found with 87g of meth and 'tick lists' of around $50,000.

'You're gonna kill him': Man beaten by teen after failing to return borrowed car
The teen attacked him with a hammer, continuing even after the victim was unconscious.

'Tragic accident': Baby died after slipping down side of cot
The sliding side created a gap in which the 7-month-old became trapped in.

'Significant blow to the family': Brotherly role saves NZ man from deportation
Cameron Ansah moved to Australia at 7 and faced deportation for violent offending.

‘Unworthy of belief’: A judge didn't believe one man's story, but the higher courts did
Now Tony Harrison's arson conviction has been quashed.

'Your actions were deliberate': Driver leaves couple's lives shattered in horror crash
Driver crashed into the victims head-on, flipping their car and injuring seven people.

'Life of darkness': Stepfather's 20 year sentence for 15 years of abuse
The victims have suffered self-doubt, PTSD, fear, distrust and shame.

‘Horrific and abhorrent:’ Computer tech makes startling discovery on customer’s laptop
Ton Kaan claimed he did not know images of children in explicit poses were illegal.

Unrestrained preschooler fell from car being driven by drunk aunty
'I should have known better,' said the woman whose partner was killed by a drink driver.

Jailed paedophile James Parker admits there is another victim
Northland man was jailed indefinitely in 2013 for abusing 20 boys aged 9 to 16.

‘Prolific burglary offending’: Writing on the wall for man who broke into 23 homes
Some people were burgled of sentimental jewellery that could never be replaced.

Mental health concerns raised in unrelated Northland murder cases
The men were unable to enter pleas due to concerns around their mental health.

Police took man to hospital but didn’t warn he was a suicide risk – within hours he was dead
Man had left the hospital and taxied to the airport when police were called to assist.

‘He was alone and unarmed’: MDMA deal ends with murder
One man was killed and another stabbed after a $150 drug deal went wrong.

Former Bay of Plenty lawyer admits $375k fraud after obstructing investigation
More than 1200 false claims were sent to the Ministry of Justice.

'You didn’t care if you hurt him': Mother guilty of causing baby's brain damage
The mother insisted she only tried to wake the baby with a simple shake.

‘His body turned white’: Mother on trial for alleged harm to baby left with brain damage
The woman has previously lost a child and said she was worried what people would think.

‘False sense of security’: Eight children drown in one summer
Coroner calls for better supervision around pools, lakes and rivers.

Eviction hopes dashed: Kāinga Ora tenant stays despite a shooting and 25 complaints
Police confirmed a shooting occurred but the tenant didn't engage with them.

‘Has not been put before the courts’: Murder case hits legal snag
Man accused of shooting Yvonne Chapman is still in hospital, delaying court appearance.

‘Someone was lying’: Man cleared of allegations he raped his former friend
She said it was rape while he argued it was consensual.

‘She was saying stop’: Teen says she was raped twice by friend during movie nights
Crown: 'Mr Stainton didn’t really care if she was consenting or not, he just went ahead.'

'Trial must be brought to an end': Murder case unexpectedly halted
Only four of the 31 witnesses had testified before the trial ended.

‘Like a pack of dogs’: Widow describes trio hissing as husband stabbed to death
'They were hissing and my daughter was just screaming,' she told the High Court.

‘I love you, I love you’: Daughter's final words as stabbed dad died in her arms
Euan Mackey was allegedly murdered by three people over a property dispute.

Jury finds sports coach not guilty of indecent assault charges
Charges included six counts of indecent assault and one of unlawful sexual connection.

'You did it baby:' Man allegedly stabbed to death over property dispute
Crown claims Denise Davis warned victim’s family they'd return to take the house.

Witness claims coach accused of inappropriate relationship with girl, 14, said ‘I’ll do what I want'
The Crown alleges the man sexually assaulted a 14-year-old sportstar.

Northland lawyer struck off for sharing child abuse images on social media
Vaughn Hill was arrested in 2023 after a search of his Kaitāia home.

Scammed out of life savings, drug-growing Vietnamese workers jailed and face deportation
Five Vietnamese men were jailed, claiming they were duped into a visa scam.

‘It was manipulation’: Sports coach allegedly crossed the line with 14yo
Teen: 'I don’t want him doing that to other people, it’s not a nice feeling'.

Kāinga Ora tenant evicted after terrorising community, shooting four cats
The man harassed children, neighbours, tradesmen and blocked roads with his wheelchair.

‘Land of weed’: Man thought he was paying $45k for a job and visa ... now he’s behind bars
The Vietnamese man ended up in a cannabis growing op that used $300 of stolen power a day.

'Agonising pain': Murder victim's family describe their loss as killer is jailed
Bob Kleiman’s body was found in a Whangārei home in 2022. Now his killer has been jailed.

Woman’s 73km police chase ends with her hiding on a roof
The judge sent Elaine Rudolph to jail for her 15th disqualified driving charge.

Elderly tenant told to ‘p*** off’ by landlords when he complained about noise
He said he was kept awake by instruments, a boxing bag, a weed eater, a mower and trucks.

Indecency case: Young woman’s courage brings down prominent Ngāpuhi leader
Judge Bayley criticised Tau's stance, noting his 40 prior convictions.

‘It is so wrong’: Drunk driver gets home detention for crash that killed fashion designer
Fashion designer Samantha Williams was killed by drink driver Jake Hamlin.

‘Psychological torture’: Neighbours' relief as woman evicted for excessive noise
Thirteen complaints were made to Kāinga Ora since she moved in last year.

Brothers admit role in fatal attack that claimed young man’s life at service station
Shayden Perkinson died trying to protect his cousin at an ATM in 2023.

Pesticides and illegal drains: Wetland suffers damage to an area the size of 54 rugby fields
Pesticides were sprayed, and 600m of drains illegally installed.

‘Stop, you’re gonna kill him’: Assault leaves man with skull fracture, brain bleed
Judge Tomlinson said the assault had 'homicide written all over it'.

Man plied his daughter's 13-year-old friend with alcohol then sexually preyed on her
The girl had been seeking refuge at her friend's house amid troubles in her home.

'I see potential': One man's plea for gang member who was on meth by age of 9
Harley Hauraki resisted arrest, swinging a patu at officers during a police stop.

'I will never see him again': Mum's grief after son killed in hit-and-run
Damon Clark died while visiting a waterfall. The man who hit him has now been sentenced.

Road to justice: High-profile trials set for 2025 at Whangārei courts
Three high-profile murder trials set for 2025 in Whangārei, starting with Perkinson case.

Couple assaulted while getting petrol by Head Hunter miffed at friendly nod
The man was king hit and then repeatedly punched and kicked as he lay on the ground.

'He knew I was scared': Man allegedly raped teen after locking her in car
Tairone Walker denies being with the girl, saying he instead spent the night at home.

Black Power member jailed after birthday celebration erupted into pub brawl
Four people were injured at The Butter Factory in Whangārei last year.

'Destroy her:' How a 16yo kitchen hand fought back against unfair dismissal - and won
ERA finds restaurant bosses pressured her to sign a casual contract or lose her job.

Man, 28, charged with murder of Thames victim, appears in court
Maxwell Connor died earlier this week following an alleged altercation.

Fined forestry giant yet to rectify issues after cyclone damage, despite court orders
Judge extends deadline for forestry cleanup in Tolaga Bay amid compliance issues.

Teen apprentice told there's no more work, then finds firm advertising similar role
Now he's taken Jayu Developments to the ERA and won a $30,000 payout.

Verbal abuse, intimidation and brawls: Courtroom chaos as violence escalates
Court violence surges with 450 assaults in five years; security breaches under scrutiny.

'It just kept dragging on': Frustrations with growing backlog of judge-alone trials
Lawyers fear some people are pleading guilty because their cases keep being adjourned.

Former iwi leader behind bars for Christmas after jury finds him guilty of indecency
Raniera Tau offered his victim $20,000 to settle the matter outside of court.

'Naughty judge': Chaos erupts in court as violent offender jailed
Judge addresses supporters: 'How am I the only one who’s angry about this?'

'Not one bit of respect': Killer's antics torment victim’s family
Lance Hall fatally stabbed father-of-two Jason McNae at an apartment complex.

'What does the word yes mean?' Young woman questioned during indecent assault trial
The then 16-year-old claims she consented out of fear. Sonny Tau was 63 at the time.

'No remorse at all': Son speaks out against fraudster mother's schemes
Tre Araia claims he's also been a victim of his mother Gina Potae's dishonesty offending.

Leading meth cook in country's largest haul asks to move prisons
Brownie Harding is now eligible for parole but is refusing to take part in a rehab course.

'Why is he doing this?' Former Ngāpuhi leader accused of assaulting teen on fishing trip
Raniera Tau, also also known as Sonny Tau, was 63 at the time. The girl was 16.

'Best estimate': Company told to put $4.5m on hold as redundancy payout dispute continues
Channel Infrastructure laid off 121 workers - and it's turned into a lengthy legal battle.