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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
R v The Queen
Case number
SC 22/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in ordering a retrial.[2016] NZCA 341   CA634/2015 
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 retrial.  Publication in law report or law digest permitted.

20 March 2017
Leave judgment

 suppression
Judgment appealed from

 suppression
Case name
Alan Ivo Greer v The Queen 
Case number
SC 27/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeals against conviction and sentence.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
16 May 2017
High Court decision
R v GREER [2014] NZHC 2364     26 September 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ALAN IVO GREER v R [2017] NZSC 75   16 May 2017 (PDF, 69 KB)
Judgment appealed from

GREER v R [2016] NZCA 630   21 December 2016
Case name
Alister James Reid  v The Queen
Case number
SC 29/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the hearsay statement by the complainant was correctly admitted as evidence at the applicant’s trial.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 
7 July 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ALISTER JAMES REID v R [2017] NZSC 108  7 July 2017 (PDF, 69 KB)
Judgment appealed from

DC (not available publicly) :
Case name
L v W
Case number
SC 31/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to hear an appeal by a complainant in a criminal matter – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its analysis of the complainant’s credibility.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
21 June 2017
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
L (SC 31/2017) v R [2017] NZSC 94   21 June 2017 (PDF, 79 KB)
Judgment appealed from

W (CA731/2015) v R [2017] NZCA 73 not electronically available __
Case name
Ahu Stanley Taylor v The Queen
Case number
SC 33/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeals against conviction and sentence.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
4 July 2017
High Court decision
R v AHU TAYLOR [2016] NZHC 1620 [15 July 2016] (Sentencing)
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
AHU STANLEY TAYLOR v R [2017] NZSC 104 [4 July 2017] (PDF, 87 KB)
Judgment appealed from

TAYLOR v R [2017] NZCA 53   9 March 2017
Case name
David Stanley Tranter v The Queen 
Case number
SC 35/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the applicant’s conviction(s) – Whether there were sufficient grounds to impose a sentence of preventive detention.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
12 December 2017
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DAVID STANLEY TRANTER v R [2017] NZSC 187 [12 December 2017] (PDF, 195 KB)
Judgment appealed from

TRANTER v R [2017] NZCA 45  7 March 2017
Case name
R v The Queen
Case number
SC 38/2017
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.[2017] NZCA 55   CA606/2016
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.         

7 June 2017
Judgment appealed from
[2017] NZCA 55 not publicly available
Lower court judgment
R v [S] DC Auckland CRI-2008-090-3508, 18 May 2010, not publicly available
Case name
S v The Queen
Case number
SC 39/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction – Whether cross examination of witnesses was adequate.
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is allowed.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
_________________________________________________
A The application for an oral hearing is dismissed.
B The application for appointment of counsel as amicus curiae is dismissed.
C The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 16 November 2017 (S (SC 39/2017) v R) is dismissed.
17 February 2022
________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 16 November 2017 (S (SC 39/2017) v R) is dismissed.
B We direct the Registrar to reject any further applications related to this Court’s judgment of 16 November 2017.
10 May 2022
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
S (SC 39/2017) v R [2017] NZSC 169 [16 November 2017] (PDF, 210 KB)
Recall judgment
S (SC 39/2017) v R [2022] NZSC 7 [17 February 2022] (PDF, 42 KB)
Recall judgment
S (SC 39/2017) v R [2022] NZSC 57 [10 May 2022] (PDF, 189 KB)
Judgment appealed from

S (CA361/2010) V R CA [2013] NZCA 179 [30 May 2013]
Case name
F v The Queen
Case number
SC 40/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction and sentence.
Result
A The application for an extension of time to appeal is allowed. B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                                  
13 April 2018
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
F (SC 40/2017) v R [2018] NZSC 29 [13 April 2018] (PDF, 208 KB)
Judgment appealed from
not publicly available
Case name
John Archibald Banks v The Queen
Case number
SC 41/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1967, s 5 – Whether the Court of Appeal and High Court erred in declining to award costs to the applicant following his acquittal.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay costs to the respondent of $2,500.
28 June 2017
High Court decision
BANKS v THE QUEEN [2016] NZHC 1596   14 July 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JOHN ARCHIBALD BANKS v R [2017] NZSC 98   28 June 2017 (PDF, 84 KB)
Judgment appealed from

BANKS v R [2017] NZCA 69    21 March 2017
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