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
Jia Wen Mao v Inno Capital No.4 Limited, Damien Grant and Steven Khov as Liquidators of Chen Hong Co Limited (in liquidation)
Case number
SC 100/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – High Court Rules 2016, Part 31 – Companies Act 1993, s 250 – Termination of a liquidation order – Substitution of creditors – Whether the  Court of Appeal erred in finding that the substitution order was made under r 31.24 of the High Court Rules.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the second respondent costs of $2,500.
26 February 2019
Case name
Jesse-James Winter v The Queen
Case number
SC 102/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing an appeal against conviction.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted (Winter v R [2018] NZCA 469).
B The approved ground of appeal is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
21 February 2019
Transcripts
Media Releases
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave granted
Case name
Allan John Titford v The Queen
Case number
SC 104/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction – Whether an extension of time to bring an application for leave to appeal should be granted.
Result
The application for an extension of time to file an application for leave to appeal is dismissed
5 March 2019
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
High Court/District Court judgment
not publicly available
Case name
Christopher Robert Halpin v The Queen
Case number
SC 107/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal –  Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against a decision declining his application to vacate his guilty pleas.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
21 February 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
George Robert Jolley v The King
Case number
SC 109/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the jury vetting process and other irregularities in the trial resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 April 2019
_________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 1 April 2019 (Jolley v R [2019] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
19 December 2022
Date of hearing
01 November 2022
Judges
Winkelman CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Kós JJ
Case name
Rex Lawrence Wilson v The Queen
Case number
SC 110/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the prosecutor’s closing submissions were proper – Whether the trial Judge properly directed the jury – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against conviction.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                    
18 June 2019
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
John Gary Davidoff v The Queen
Case number
SC 112/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction.
Result
A The application for an extension of time to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
20 March 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Peter John Chambers v The Queen 
Case number
SC 118/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by not admitting evidence under section 44 of the Evidence Act 2006.
Result
The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
22 February 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Malcolm Edward Rabson as Trustee of the Malcolm Rabson Family Trust v Ian Bruce Shepherd and Christine Margaret Dunphy
Case number
SC 1/2017
Summary
Civil Appeal – Court of Appeal (Civil) Rules 2005, r 43(2) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining the application for an extension of time. [2016] NZCA 446   CA51/2016
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
23 June 2017
Case name
Mateo Melina Nixon v The Queen
Case number
SC 15/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s conviction appeal – Whether the applicant’ s sentence was adequately reduced.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
2 May 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DC judgment
THE QUEEN v NIXON [2015] NZDC 16756 not available