Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says he is open to changing the law in response to potential suppression breaches related to the Tom Phillips injunction.

Last week in the High Court at Wellington, Justice Helen Cull extended an interim injunction order that prevents media from reporting key details about the Phillips case.

Phillips was killed in the early hours of Monday last week after a shootout with police, during which he critically injured an officer.

The standoff brought to a close a four-year ordeal that gripped the attention of the nation, after Phillips abducted his three children in 2021 and took them into hiding in the wilderness

The High Court granted an injunction on Monday evening after an urgent oral application from top lawyer Linda Clark on behalf of Tom Phillips’ mother, Julia Phillips.

Most of the details of what was said during the hearing remain heavily suppressed, but the Herald can report that a hearing was held, and the status of the interim injunction order.

Justice Cull made an order extending the injunction until Thursday this week at least.

Speculation that could violate the court’s suppression orders has since spread in online forums and on social media platforms.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is open to changing the law. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he had “seen the situation developing” and expressed concern, while acknowledging suppression breaches were judged by the courts.

“[T]here is, I suppose, a mismatch between the suppression orders and what is going on in broader modern social media, so yes I’ll be taking some advice.”

Goldsmith said he was open to a law change but he didn’t appear hopeful an effective solution was readily available.

“If there’s legislative change required, maybe, but like I say, I haven’t had any advice on any easy solutions to what is the reality that New Zealanders get their news from all over the globe and we can’t enforce our writ all over the globe, and so there is a challenge there.”

Goldsmith clarified he had not yet asked for advice but intended to.

The issue reared its head during the 2019 trial of Grace Millane’s killer, Jesse Kempson, when his name was published overseas while suppression orders were in place.