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
Darryl Shane Wilson v The Queen
Case number
SC 66/2006
Summary
Criminal appeal – appeal against sentence – whether application of sentencing guidelines in R v Taueki [2005] 3 NZLR 372 to offending which took place before the issue of that decision is contrary to the prohibition on retrospective increases in penalty in s 25(g) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, s 6(1) of the Sentencing Act 2002, various international covenants, and/or good sentencing practice/fairness.CA 334/05 31 July 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
18 October 2006
18 October 2006
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
WILSON V R SC 66/2006 [18 October 2006] (PDF, 19 KB)
Case name
Michael Frank Templeton v The Queen
Case number
SC 73/2006
Summary
Criminal – appeal against conviction and sentence – party to firearms offences – counsel incompetence – whether trial counsel misled or pressured applicant into not giving evidence – whether applicant fit to stand trial – whether sentence manifestly excessive. CA 460/05 6 July 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
16 February 2007
16 February 2007
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TEMPLETON v R SC 73/2006 [16 February 2007] (PDF, 15 KB)
Case name
Ricardo Genovese v The Queen
Case number
SC 74/2006
Summary
Criminal – appeal against conviction – allegation that applicant denied his right to representation – refusal by trial judge of adjournment to allow counsel to familiarise himself with the file – whether this amounted to breach of Bill of Rights Act – whether warrants defective in inferring applicant was legally represented – whether counsel failed to raise appeal against sentence and Bill of Rights in Court of Appeal. CA 151/02 CA 151/02 20 September 2005
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
28 November 2006
28 November 2006
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
GENOVESE v R SC 74/2006 [28 November 2006] (PDF, 79 KB)
Case name
Geoffrey Paul Affleck v The Queen
Case number
SC 78/2006
Summary
Criminal – appeal against conviction – trial conducted on basis that applicant’s wife was asleep during alleged sexual offending against daughter’s friend – wife present in Court but did not give evidence – wife gave evidence to Court of Appeal that she was awake and witnessed no offending – whether Court of Appeal erred in finding it “inconceivable” that such crucial evidence would not have been communicated to, or would have been ignored by, counsel – whether Court of Appeal erred in rejecting evidence as honest but “implausible” and in refusing to order a re-trial. CA 446/05 14 September 2006
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
4 December 2006
4 December 2006
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Murray Alexander Menzies v The Queen
Case number
SC 80/2006
Summary
Criminal – Court of Appeal’s jurisdiction – alleged application and effect of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in this regard – alleged power of the Court to strike down or disregard legislation. CA 144/06 13 September 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
28 November 2006
28 November 2006
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MENZIES v R SC 80/2006 [28 November 2006] (PDF, 62 KB)
Case name
Ross Ferguson Burns v The Queen
Case number
SC 81/2006
Summary
Criminal appeal – appeal against conviction – appellant convicted of indecent assault but acquitted of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection – whether there is an inconsistency between the verdicts such as to give rise to a substantial miscarriage of justice – whether admission of a child complainant’s evidence that altered in the course of successive evidential interviews gives rise to a substantial miscarriage of justice. CA 55/06 12 June 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
18 December 2006
18 December 2006
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Brendon Douglas Neal Forrest v The Queen
Case number
SC 83/2006
Summary
Criminal – appeal against sentence – appearance of bias on part of one of the Judges hearing the appeal in the Court of Appeal – whether Court of Appeal erred in concluding that acknowledged factual error in sentencing remarks did not influence overall sentence imposed – whether Court of Appeal erred in regarding sentence as “stern” but not manifestly excessive. CA 83/06 12 October 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
11 December 2006
11 December 2006
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Wi Te Tau Huata v The Queen
Case number
SC 84/2006
Summary
Summary Criminal – appeal against conviction – whether Court of Appeal erred in dismissing appeal – applicant convicted of four counts of fraud and one count of perverting the course of justice. CA 411/05 20 October 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
15 February 2007
15 February 2007
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
HUATA V R SC 84/2006 [15 February 2007] (PDF, 15 KB)
Case name
Christopher John Manawatu v The Queen
Case number
SC 92/2006
Summary
Criminal – applicant convicted of aggravated robbery and driving while disqualified – applicant convicted in separate proceeding of three counts of manslaughter, and one charge each of reckless driving and excess blood alcohol – no appeal against conviction or sentence – whether s 398 Crimes Act infringes ss 14, 25(a) and 25(h) New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 or Articles 14(1), 19(2) and 26 of ICCPR – whether s 398 discriminates against criminal appellants, there being no equivalent provision applying to civil cases – whether Court of Appeal should have disclosed to counsel prior to the hearing that s 398(1) is in the process of being repealed - whether Court of Appeal should have made Declaration of Inconsistency of s 398 with BORA - whether undue appellate delay – whether there should be a reduction in sentence by reason of appellate delay. CA 111/05 CA 112/05 10 November 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
8 March 2007
8 March 2007
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Colyn David Stoves v The Queen
Case number
SC 93/2006
Summary
Criminal – appeal against sentence – recidivist drink driving offending – whether Court of Appeal erred in confirming sentencing judge’ s assessment of aggravating and mitigating factors – whether sentence partially reflected offending outside scope of present charges, in breach of s 25 New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 – whether Court of Appeal erred in confirming that applicant’s ‘poor responses’ to community work and bail obligations properly contributed to refusal of leave to apply for home detention CA 264/06 7 November 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 15 February 2007
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
STOVES v R SC 93/2006 [15 February 2007] (PDF, 13 KB)
Additional document
Judgment appealed from
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