Tracy Neal is a courts and tribunals reporter based in Nelson for the New Zealand Herald. She works as a court reporter covering Nelson and Blenheim courts and tribunal decisions nationwide.
Tracy Neal is one of the Open Justice reporting team covering courts and justice for the New Zealand Herald, and its regional partner in Nelson-Marlborough, Top South Media. She began her career as a cadet reporter for the Nelson Evening Mail in the mid-1980s, did her OE, freelanced, worked as a travel writer for trade press in Auckland on her return to NZ, then returned to Nelson and her old desk back at the Mail. Tracy was RNZ's regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough for six years, where she learned the fine art of cutting and compiling audio for radio. She also prepared court news from her patch for NZME's Newstalk ZB news network. Over the years Tracy has covered everything from this region, from crime to courts to local government, plus natural disasters and some large civil defence emergencies. You can contact Tracy at tracy.neal@nzme.co.nz.
A life shaped by crime: Desensitised burglar back behind bars
Judge says Edward Davis' remorse and regret 'may be aligned with apprehension'.
War between landlord and tenant escalates to power, water being cut
The dispute began over a sign the tenant had posted on her fence.
Family trust not enough to protect man from losing 'life's work' to ex
He was wrong to think his actions would safeguard home from any claim by a future partner.
'Suspension would devastate me': Teacher fights to keep job after criminal charges
The woman was discharged without conviction for serious misconduct.
'Gratuitous, excessive ... unjustified': Officers stomped on detainee lying face down
Two of the custody officers have since left and one pleaded guilty to common assault.
Teacher to 501 deportee: Man to be sent back to NZ after sexually molesting 10yo at campsite
Michael Hughes maintains he's innocent - despite Aussie court ruling.
Load of bull: Woman buys 'desexed' cattle beast which went on to impregnate cows
Tribunal says photos of 'MN' and his testicle were evidence he was not fully castrated.
'I’m not paying him an absolute penny': The dispute over an unpaid $14k bill
Raine Selles continues to baulk at money owed for her horse arena, despite a court order.
Busted: Inquisitive cleaner finds fake money operation in motel room
'It's offending that undermines our currency and this is a serious example of it.'
Suki's legacy: The dog attack that went all the way to the Court of Appeal
A new ruling has clarified the hazy laws around destruction orders for dogs that attack.
'Calculated torture': Mother forced to watch as son bashed with hammer
Torture ringleader Dylan Hemana says he had a 'Once Were Warriors' upbringing.
Retired woman left with one leg shorter after hip surgery, takes on ACC alone
'Her everyday life has been hard: physically, emotionally, psychologically, financially.'
Drunken sailor crashed car while drinking '8 or 9' beers on drive home from sea
He understood the seriousness of what he’d done and how he’d placed other drivers at risk.
Pharmac asked to consider stopping long-term subsidy of antibiotics after man’s death
No one warned the man of the risk of taking nitrofurontoin for more than six months.
Villagers win fight against prominent wine grower over controversial alpine subdivision
'We would have been looking at Coronation Street which is not why we chose to be here.'
'She had just turned 12': Victim sobs as offender avoids being tagged as child sex offender
Peter Currie claimed an indecent assault at a wedding dance 'happened accidentally'.
Backpacker manager posing as physio indecently assaulted tourists during ‘massages’
Fred Pino-Bustos told one of his victims he learned a new technique on YouTube.
'You are a monster:' Dad confronts man who sexually abused his daughter
"Hate is a strong word...but Patrick Hart, I hate you for everything you did".
Woman duped into handing over $7k after being told she'd won a prize on Facebook
The victim was told she had to pay $5000 into a bank account in order to claim her prize.
Surgery denied: Mum with painful endometriosis told she's too young for hysterectomy
The HDC has found the doctor was 'unduly influenced by his own views' regarding her care.
Tenants kept awake by cockroaches ‘scuttling across ceiling’ awarded $12k
The residents were paying $1300 per week to live in the house.
Nelson hostage situation: Man appears in court on kidnapping charges
Police from outside the region arrived in Nelson to help with the hostage situation.
'Ashamed': Travel agent used company money for gas, food and house cleaning
Lee Harris quit his job at Blue Marine after an investigation into unauthorised spending.
Man paid $80k for classic Ford – only to find it had Holden 'donor parts'
The 1956 Ford F100 was essentially two cars joined together.
Rapist's last words to victim: 'See, it wasn't that bad was it?'
Simon Harris, a collagen technician, denied the offending but was found guilty at trial.
'Extremely frightening day': Police justified in shooting man who opened fire during wild chase
IPCA finds David Fononga died after being shot by police in 'extraordinary circumstances'.
Remorse 'genuine': High Court removes man's name from child sex offender list
Kwan Loong Lee was caught trying to flee the country after a relationship with a 13yo.
Man loses name suppression bid over Snapchat of sex with underage girl
His father was worried about the humiliation that would follow his son being named.
Family kidnapped over $200k of missing meth, one tortured with pliers
The victim's toes were squeezed so hard with pliers, he feared they would 'pop off'.
Nelson teen sentenced after 14-year-old humiliated in social media livestream
The judge told Harrison Oliver he should be “thoroughly ashamed” of his behaviour.
‘I hope he haunts you’: He died chasing his stolen Merc, thief left him entombed
Allister Christie's body was found the next day, still trapped in his submerged car.
Man gave partner Valentine's Day slap, covered her mouth then pinned her down
'The common thread was his destructive use of methamphetamine.'
Homestead burned to the ground in 'revenge' blaze started by ex-partner
Hamish Ray hung his head and cried as the consequences of his actions sunk in.
Man refused alcohol threatens supermarket worker: 'Stab a knife in your fat gut'
He arrived dragging a road cone under his car and left without the alcohol he wanted.
'Failure in system' led to swab being left in woman after hysterectomy
But it remains unclear how the South Auckland surgical error happened.
Pantry was empty, kids were hungry - so woman stole $8k worth of grocery items
The Nelson woman's lawyer says she's trying to be a productive member of society now.
Leaky garage: 'Inaccurate' statement comes back to bite seller three years later
Former owner liable for $29k repair costs because of what he said when he owned it.
Man collected 1.2m child exploitation images over 20 years
'They were real victims and their suffering was recorded for the world to see.'
'I'll kill you:' Man attacks victims with a bike seat, later kills pet bunny
A few days later he threw a pet bunny against the wall, killing it instantly.
Former mayor confronts intruder, who had a nail gun, trying to 'claim' her house
'He was screaming and ranting at me, and I just thought, ‘I have to protect myself''.
Cancer, bankruptcy and a long legal battle: One estranged couple's fight for a family home
The man argued it wasn't relationship property because he had inherited the house.
Worker loses four fingers after his hand is caught in pizza dough machine
The Momma's Foods worker had to have his fingers amputated.
'My first kiss will always be with a predator:' Man sentenced for sex offending against teen in park
'I realised I was strong enough to do something, and now, we are here.'
$27,000 break-up: Woman takes man to tribunal over takeaways bill after fallout
She says he didn't pay her back for things like takeaways, medicine and a loan for a car.
'The stuff of nightmares': Seasonal worker jailed after raping child at train station
Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber said it was 'an appalling rape of a vulnerable girl'.
'Excessive self-defence:' Woman hit man in head with fire poker after social media scrap
The man turned up carrying a large knife and “asking for a fight”.
Victim's mother remains haunted by son's 'senseless death'
Robert Taylor fled the scene leaving one mate dying and three others injured.
Botched holiday: Couple lose $6k when booking site refused to budge over 'mistake'
'There are plenty of last-minute deal seekers who may have chanced upon this availability'
'I need to change my attitude': Furious 11-time drink driver storms out on judge
'You have no insight into the harm you could cause to others,' the judge said.
Oops, he did it again: Repeat drink driver caught a week shy of finishing sentence
He was driving drunk in a vehicle without a court-imposed interlock device.
501 with more than 60 convictions thanks judge as he's sent to prison
'Thank you judge - thank you for your understanding," the patched Comanchero said.
Family lawyer brutally attacked in court lift played dead in hope of survival
'I remember waking on the floor, yelling for help and being in real fear for my life.'
Teen gets $20k payout after being sexually harassed by boss
The 14-year-old's boss says it was normal for him to call staff “baby” and “honey”.
Teen's 'bully boy' attack left victim with concussion, broken bones
Judge: 'If you went to prison, I don’t know you would come out a better person.'
Officer assaulted by woman as he stopped her from walking into rescue chopper's blades
She responded by kicking and punching him before trying to bite the officer's arm.
Busted: Cleaner springs guests who booked beachside motel to make fake money
Couple checked in carrying a guillotine, printer and multiple laptop bags.
'It’s your fault I got fired': Woman attacks colleague she blamed for job loss
Three weeks later she punched a woman stocking Easter products at The Warehouse.
Supreme Court: Minister was wrong to cancel woman’s passport based on terrorism fears
'The briefing paper was not fair, accurate and adequate.'
'Deeply disheartened': Govt puts aside $3.6m to fight Nelson Tenths decision before it’s landed
'Planning an appeal before the decision is released risks undermining the process.'
Retired man's life savings gone after sleeping skipper grounds fishing boat
'I have nothing left, thanks to Simon's stupidity.'
He parked, didn't pay and got pinged by wardens. Now he's won the case in court
Lawyer ended a long-running career with a win in court.
Identity of man who took pics of naked children at rec centres finally revealed
'We are relieved the public now knows who he is' - a parent of one of the victims.
Tākaka builder $12k out of pocket after planned gold dig in national park
He reported his mining equipment as stolen and was then arrested.
Teen says his life was 'turned inside out' by sexual violation
The 15-year-old said the trial then 'broke me in ways that are hard to describe'.
'Ripped off': Kebab staff worked without pay before dinner shifts
Workers only paid for lunch and dinner service, not the hours worked in between.
Trainee doctor started medical procedure without anaesthetic: 'Most horrific pain'
The woman screamed as she felt the electrically surging wire “cut through her cervix”.
Husband watched wife die while waiting for ambulance after six calls to 111
After she collapsed in their lounge, he was told help may take 'up to several hours'.
Russian women to get full NZ pension after overseas ones stopped by invasion
One of the women said the pension reduction was having an acute effect on her household.
'Utterly inexplicable:' Prominent Kiwi winegrower fined $15k for smuggling vine cuttings
'His knowledge of the risk would have been far greater than the average New Zealander.'
Former homeowner ordered to cough up $5k for broken pump two years after sale
A plumber found it had been fouled by wet wipes.
Guilty: Car thief caused death of Mercedes owner in high-speed crash
The verdict has helped to bring closure to Allister Christie's family.
Tribunal says real estate firm's 'numerous breaches' put public at risk
The real estate firm says the failures were due to human error and faulty systems.
Police Conduct Authority: Use of police dog van to knock down offender 'justified'
The offender claimed it wasn’t justified because he had surrendered before being struck.
UK man ordered to leave NZ after raping woman he met on dating app
Once he's finished his sentence, he has three months to pack up and leave.
'Crime against the community': Furniture-maker's $695k tax fraud
Inland Revenue says his actions meant staff missed out on their KiwiSaver contributions.
Worker mistakenly overpaid $9k quits, reneges on repayment deal
He's now resumed repayments after the Employment Relations Authority got involved.
Stolen Mercedes trial: Who's really to blame for fatal crash?
The Crown says ‘it takes two’, while the defence says only one person is culpable.
'I gunned it': Fleeing Merc thief's interview after 70yo owner died in watery crash
'I was knocked out and bleeding - I thought I was dead,' Kyle Clarke told police.