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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.

24 June 2024

Case information summary 2024 (as at 21 June 2024) –  Cases where leave granted (121 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 21 June 2024)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 125 KB)

All years

Case name
Lewis Eru Craig v The Queen
Case number
SC 59/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the interests of the victim were taken into account in sentencing (s 7(1)(c) of the Sentencing Act 2002) – Whether the defendant had a reasonable expectation he would not be imprisoned before he pleaded guilty – Whether the final sentence imposed was manifestly excessive – Whether there was a miscarriage of justice
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 26 September 2019
High Court decision
R v THOMPSON [2018] NZHC 2608 [5 October 2018]
Court of Appeal decision
TROON v R [2019] NZCA 265 [27 June 2019]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
LEWIS ERU CRAIG v R [2019] NZSC 103 [26 September 2019] (PDF, 52 KB)
Case name
T (SC62/2019) v The Queen
Case number
SC 62/2019
Summary
Criminal appeal - Application for leave to bring criminal appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
7 October 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
T (CA742/2017) v R [2019] NZCA 150 [9 May 2019]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
T (SC 62/2019) v R [2019] NZSC 106 [7 October 2019] (PDF, 52 KB)
Case name
Frederick Hill v Maori Trustee
Case number
SC 63/2019
Summary
Civil Appeal – Court of Appeal (Civil) Rules 2005, r 37(1) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in striking out the applicant’s appeal for non-payment of costs.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 August 2019
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
FREDRICK HILL v MĀORI TRUSTEE [2019] NZSC 89 [19 August 2019] (PDF, 200 KB)
Case name
R v The Queen
Case number
SC 67/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 43 – Propensity – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against conviction.
Result
A Notice of Abandonment having been filed the application for leave to appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
12 December 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
R (CA379/2018) v R [2019] NZCA 255 [26 June 2019]
Case name
Jennifer Elainena Castles v The Queen
Case number
SC 68/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring a pre-trial appeal
Result
A The application for leave to bring a pre-trial appeal is dismissed.
B We make an order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceeding (including the result) in the news media or on the internet or on any other publicly available database until final disposition of the trial. Publication in a law report or law digest is permitted.
16 August 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JENNIFER ELAINENA CASTLES v R [2019] NZSC 88 [16 August 2019] (PDF, 41 KB)
Case name
Macfarlane Dean Topia v The Queen
Case number
SC 69/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring a pre-trial appeal
Result
A The application for leave to bring a pre-trial appeal is dismissed.
B We make an order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceeding (including the result) in the news media or on the internet or on any other publicly available database until final disposition of the trial. Publication in a law report or law digest is permitted.
16 August 2019
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JENNIFER ELAINENA CASTLES v R [2019] NZSC 88 [16 August 2019] (PDF, 41 KB)
Case name
K (SC 70/2019) v The Queen
Case number
SC 70/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in ruling evidence admissible at trial and dismissing appeal against conviction
Result
A An extension of time for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
26 September 2019
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
K (SC 70/2019) v R [2019] NZSC 102 [26 September 2019] (PDF, 305 KB)
Case name
FMV v TZB
Case number
SC 72/2019
Summary
Civil Appeal – Jurisdiction – Employment Relations Act 2000, s 161(1)(r) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the Employment Relations Authority had exclusive jurisdiction over the applicant’s claim that her employer breached various duties of care in relation to her employment – Whether the Court erred in upholding the High Court’s order granting permanent name suppression.
Result
A  The application for leave to appeal is granted (FMV v TZB [2019] NZCA 282).  
B  The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
8 October 2019
________________________________________________
A The High Court’s suppression order is amended to suppress only the identities of the parties and to remain in force so long as the suppression order made by the Employment Relations Authority remains in force.
B The appeal is otherwise dismissed.
C Costs are reserved.
20 August 2021
Transcripts
Media Releases
High Court decision
FMV v TZB [2018] NZHC 1131 [21 May 2018]
Court of Appeal decision
FMV v TZB [2019] NZCA 282 [4 July 2019]
Leave judgment - leave granted
FMV v TZB [2019] NZSC 108 [8 October 2019] (PDF, 32 KB)
Substantive judgment
FMV v TZB [2021] NZSC 102 [20 August 2021] (PDF, 392 KB)
Supreme court decision
Cost decision: FMV v TZB [2021] NZSC 145 [2 November 2021] (PDF, 45 KB)
Hearing date

17 March 2020

Winkelmann CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan and Williams JJ
Case name
Iraia Aranga Ngamotu Burton v The Queen
Case number
SC 73/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether an extension of time should be granted – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal to it against conviction and sentence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in assessing the evidence, including propensity evidence and relevancy of evidence – Whether the applicant can produce new evidence before this Court – Whether there was a miscarriage of justice.
Result
The application for an extension of time is dismissed. 23 September 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
BURTON v R [2018] NZCA 355 [11 October 2018]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
IRAIA ARANGA NGAMOTU BURTON v R [2019] NZSC 101 [23 September 2019] (PDF, 54 KB)
Case name
Peter James Brooks V The Queen
Case number
SC 74/2019
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed
8 October 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
PETER JAMES BROOKS v R [2019] NZSC 107 [8 October 2019] (PDF, 56 KB)
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