Supreme Court case information
Listed below are the substantive Supreme Court cases for the year along with appeals still to be determined or cases awaiting hearing.
Information giving an overview of the case is included along with media releases and links to judgments being appealed when available.
All 2024 - 2014 Supreme Court cases dismissed or deemed to be dismissed where a notice of abandonment was received can be found here.
Transcripts for cases heard before the Supreme Court are included provided they are not suppressed. Transcripts from pre-trial hearings are not published until the final disposition of trial. These are unedited transcripts and they are not a formal record of the Court’s proceedings. The Ministry of Justice does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any material and recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use.
23 December 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 23 December 2024) – Cases where leave granted (126 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 23 December 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 116 KB)
All years
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v The Attorney-General
Case number
SC 37/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $500.
21 September 2022
________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 21 September 2022 (Dunstan v Attorney-General [2022] NZSC 111) is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $1,500.
21 April 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $500.
21 September 2022
________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 21 September 2022 (Dunstan v Attorney-General [2022] NZSC 111) is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $1,500.
21 April 2023
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Kaine Van Hemert v The King
Case number
SC 38/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal
Result
A The applications for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal (R v Van Hemert [2021] NZCA 261) [the Court of Appeal judgment] and the decision of the High Court (R v Van Hemert [2021] NZHC 2877) resentencing Mr Van Hemert [the resentencing judgment] are granted.
B Leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgment and the resentencing judgment is granted.
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to conclude that the presumption in favour of life imprisonment in s 102 of the Sentencing Act 2002 was not displaced given the circumstances of the offence and of the applicant.
3 August 2022
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal against sentence is allowed.
B The minimum period of imprisonment of 11 years and six months is quashed and a minimum period of imprisonment of 10 years is substituted.
31 August 2023
B Leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgment and the resentencing judgment is granted.
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to conclude that the presumption in favour of life imprisonment in s 102 of the Sentencing Act 2002 was not displaced given the circumstances of the offence and of the applicant.
3 August 2022
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal against sentence is allowed.
B The minimum period of imprisonment of 11 years and six months is quashed and a minimum period of imprisonment of 10 years is substituted.
31 August 2023
Date of hearing
18 November 2022
Judges
Glazebrook, O’Regan, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Appellants submissions (PDF, 478 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Respondents submissions (PDF, 501 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Intervener Criminal Bar Association submissions (PDF, 445 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Intervener Defence Lawyers Association submissions (PDF, 208 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Transcript (PDF, 586 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 18 November Van Hemert v The King (PDF, 472 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2023] NZSC 116 (PDF, 307 KB)
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
KAINE VAN HEMERT v R [2022] NZSC 94 [3 August 2022] (PDF, 191 KB)
Substantive judgment
KAINE VAN HEMERT v R [2023] NZSC 116 [31 August 2023] (PDF, 471 KB)
Case name
Vin Tomar v Monika Tomar
Case number
SC 39/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
4 July 2022
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
4 July 2022
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
VIN TOMAR v MONIKA TOMAR [2022] NZSC 84 [4 July 2022] (PDF, 177 KB)
Case name
Timothy Graeme Little v New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa
Case number
SC 40/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
23 June 2022
___________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 23 June 2022 (Little v New Zealand Law Society [2022] NZSC 78) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
26 August 2022
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
23 June 2022
___________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 23 June 2022 (Little v New Zealand Law Society [2022] NZSC 78) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
26 August 2022
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
C (SC 41/2022) v The Queen
Case number
SC 41/2022
Summary
ORDER PROHIBITING PUBLICATION OF THE JUDGMENT AND ANY PART OF THE PROCEEDINGS (INCLUDING THE RESULT) IN NEWS MEDIA OR ON THE INTERNET OR OTHER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATABASE UNTIL FINAL DISPOSITION OF TRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
Result
ORDER PROHIBITING PUBLICATION OF THE JUDGMENT AND ANY PART OF THE PROCEEDINGS (INCLUDING THE RESULT) IN NEWS MEDIA OR ON THE INTERNET OR OTHER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATABASE UNTIL FINAL DISPOSITION OF TRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
15 June 2022
15 June 2022
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Maui Warahi v Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 42/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Habeas Corpus- Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
17 June 2022
17 June 2022
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Aston-Edward William Earnest Wedgwood v The King
Case number
SC 43/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Toko Shane Rei Winter v The Queen
Case number
SC 44/2022
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
6 September 2022
6 September 2022
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Paul Elvis Rawiri McLean v The Queen
Case number
SC 45/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
12 August 2022
12 August 2022
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Kerryn Mitchell v The Queen
Case number
SC 46/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
21 July 2022
21 July 2022
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
KERRYN MITCHELL v R [2022] NZSC 89 [21 July 2022] (PDF, 42 KB)
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