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
John Kenneth Slavich v The Queen
Case number
SC 52/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction – Fraud – Summary Proceedings Act 1957 – Judicature Act 1908 – Parallel application for leave to appeal – Whether miscarriage of justice established – Whether evidence wrongly admitted – Whether trial counsel’s conduct inappropriate.CRI 2006–419–89 12 October 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
10 August 2009.
_______________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
______________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
10 August 2009.
_______________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
______________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SLAVICH V R SC 52/2009 10 August 2009 (PDF, 13 KB)
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R SC 52/2009 [13 September 2011] (PDF, 45 KB)
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2020] NZSC 34 [16 April 2020] (PDF, 149 KB)
Recall judgment
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 72 [21 June 2024] (PDF, 194 KB)
Case name
John Kenneth Slavich v The Queen
Case number
SC 53/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction – Fraud – Admissibility of Evidence – Judicature Act 1908 – Whether miscarriage of justice established by way of Court of Appeal’s alleged failure to consider all points raised on appeal – Whether evidence wrongly admitted – Whether Court of Appeal exceeded its jurisdiction in its evaluation of the evidence.[2009] NZCA 188 CA 461/2007 15 May 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
10 August 2009
_________________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
_____________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
10 August 2009
_________________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
_____________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R SC 52/2009 [13 September 2011] (PDF, 45 KB)
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SLAVICH V R SC 52/2009 10 August 2009 (PDF, 13 KB)
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2020] NZSC 34 [16 April 2020] (PDF, 149 KB)
Recall judgment
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 72 [21 June 2024] (PDF, 194 KB)
Case name
Paul Joseph Cameron v The Queen
Case number
SC 54/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – murder – whether statements made by the appellant were made in circumstances adversely affecting their reliability and ought to have been excluded – whether statements made by the appellant were influenced by oppression and ought to have been excluded – whether statements made by the appellant were improperly obtained and ought to have been excluded - whether the appellant’s conviction was a substantial miscarriage of justice[2009] NZCA 87 CA 568/2008 24 March 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 12 August 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Luana Roberta Taylor v The Queen
Case number
SC 56/2009
Summary
Criminal – Admissibility of a statement – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing an application for leave to appeal a pre-trial ruling[2009] NZCA 228 CA 210/2009 2 June 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal refused. 1 July 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Lipene Sila v The Queen
Case number
SC 58/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against murder convictions – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the Trial Judge was correct to not allow self-defence to be put to the jury.[2009] NZCA 233 CA 404/2008 5 June 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 10 August 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Kane Wikio and Bunny Beckham v The Attorney-General
Case number
SC 59/2009
Summary
Civil Appeal – whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to exercise its discretion under r 43(2) of the Court of Appeal (Civil) Rules 2005 to extend the time to file a Case on Appeal in circumstances where there was no realistic prospect that the appellants would be able to pursue their appeal after their counsel advised he would not proceed on a pro bono basis and where the appellants had already had the benefit of being represented in a full merits appeal.[2009] NZCA 221 CA 486/2008 2 June 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 23 July 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Victor Stojanovich v The Queen
Case number
SC 62/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – convictions for sexual violations by rape and unlawful sexual connection – appeal based on conduct of defence counsel and alleged deficiencies in the trial process – whether the appellant was denied the right to a fair trial – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the failure of trial counsel to cross-examine the complainant on inconsistencies between her evidence at trial, her statement to the Police and evidence at first trial did not amount to a miscarriage of justice – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the trial judge’s direction on consent did not amount to a miscarriage of justice.[2009] NZCA 210 CA 427/2008 27 May 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
27 August 2009
27 August 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
STOJANOVICH V R SC 62/2009 27 August 2009 (PDF, 12 KB)
Case name
Kobina Bertum Dadzie v The Queen
Case number
SC 63/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction and sentence – Whether appellant denied any due process right in raising counsel incompetence claims – Whether substantial miscarriage of justice established.[2009] NZCA 261 CA 121/2009 23 June 2009.
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 26 August 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Lewtyn Michael Scott v Rosemary Ann Scott and others
Case number
SC 65/2009
Summary
Civil – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its exercise of discretion declining the application for grant of an extension under r 43 of the Court of Appeal (Civil) Rules 2005 – Whether the Court of Appeal was entitled to make that decision in the absence of the applicant or his counsel.[2009] NZCA 255 CA 634/2008 19 June 2009.
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs of $7,500 and disbursements to the respondents. 29 October 2009
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Transcript
Case name
Maia Rongonui v The Queen
Case number
SC 66/2009
Summary
Criminal – Evidence Act 2006 – Mr Rongonui was convicted of one count of sexual violation by unlawful connection and one of assault with intent to commit rape – whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the complainant’s evidence that she had told her friend what occurred after the incident did not fall within s 35 of the Evidence Act dealing with previous consistent statements because evidence was not given of anything actually said by the complainant – whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the District Court Judge was correct to allow the prosecutor to use a witness statement to refresh the memory of a witness and to allow cross-examination of the witness on the grounds of hostility[2009] NZCA 279 CA 736/2008 2 July 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
21 September 2009
___________________________
Appeal allowed, convictions set aside. Order for new trial. Reasons to be given at a later date. 2
7 November 2009
_____________________________
Reasons given 23 July 2010
21 September 2009
___________________________
Appeal allowed, convictions set aside. Order for new trial. Reasons to be given at a later date. 2
7 November 2009
_____________________________
Reasons given 23 July 2010
Transcripts
- Hearing date 19 November 2009 (PDF, 504 KB)
Media Releases
- media release rongonui 23 july new release (PDF, 83 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Rongonui v R SC 66/2009 [21 September 2009] (PDF, 9 KB)
Substantive judgment
RONGONUI v R SC 66/2009 [27 November 2009] (PDF, 170 KB)
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