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
Bevin Hall Skelton v Daran Nair
Case number
SC 95/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – whether Winkelmann J erred in dismissing an application to review the Registrar of the Court of Appeal’s refusal to dispense with security for costs.[2015] NZCA 343 CA 294/2015
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
9 November 2015
9 November 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Dion Edward Gurran v The Queen
Case number
SC 96/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in stating that the trial Judge’s reliability warning was sufficient for the purposes of s 122 of the Evidence Act 2006 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in not granting leave to adduce fresh evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the trial Judge adequately summarised the defence case to the jury. [2015] NZCA 347 CA 412/2013
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 February 2016
1 February 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Jeremy George Edward McLaughlin v The Queen
Case number
SC 97/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether DNA evidence was misused at trial – Whether the trial judge’s direction as to lies was inadequate – Whether a direction under s 32 Evidence Act 2006 was required – Whether the summing up was unfair. [2015] NZCA 339 CA 752/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
3 November 2015
3 November 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Antony Fredrick Gray v The Queen
Case number
SC 98/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against sentence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in refusing to grant a sentence reduction for injuries suffered while in prison on remand.[2015] NZCA 297 CA 67/2015
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
28 October 2015
28 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
John Grant Cuthers v The Queen
Case number
SC 99/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961, ss 167(b) and 168(1)(a) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the High Court Judge was correct not to direct that jury that they had to be unanimous as to the applicant’ s knowledge.[2015] NZCA 366 CA 186/014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
22 August 2016
22 August 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Gary Owen Burgess v TSB Bank Limited
Case number
SC 100/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Mortgagee sale – Property Law Act 2007, s 119 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the notice issued under s 119 was not invalid – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the respondent did not have to specify the consequences of not remedying the default. [2015] NZCA 361 CA 47/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. The applicant must pay the respondent costs on an indemnity basis.
3 February 2016
3 February 2016
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Dean Michael Vincent v The Queen
Case number
SC 101/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal –– Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction.[2015] NZCA 201 CA 870/2013
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
23 February 2016
23 February 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DEAN MICHAEL VINCENT v R [2016] NZSC 15 23 February 2016 (PDF, 138 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Gary Owen Burgess v Susan Natalie Beaven
Case number
SC 102/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the Registrar’s decision refusing to dispense with security for costs. [2015] NZCA 373 CA 293/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. The applicant must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent. 11 November 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
High Court decision
Judgment appealed from
Case name
David Owen Crequer v The Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development
Case number
SC 103/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the applicant’s application to review the Deputy Registrar’s refusal to waive the filing fee for an appeal to the Court of Appeal.[2015] NZCA 365 CA 414/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
18 November 2015
18 November 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
High Court decision
Case name
Greenshell New Zealand Limited (in receivership) v Kennedy Bay Mussel Company (NZ) Limited
Case number
SC 104/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining to exercise its discretion to grant relief from forfeiture of the deeds of lease and licence between the respondent and the applicant. [2015] NZCA 374 CA 3962014
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Greenshell New Zealand Ltd (In Receivership) v Kennedy Bay Mussel Company (NZ) Ltd [2015] NZCA 374). B Leave to cross-appeal is also granted. C The approved grounds are: Was the Court of Appeal correct to find there was jurisdiction to grant the applicant relief against forfeiture of its rights under the deed of lease and deed of sub‑licence? If so, did the Court of Appeal err in declining to grant such relief?
24 November 2015
_____________
Notice of abandonment of appeal being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
15 February 2016
24 November 2015
_____________
Notice of abandonment of appeal being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
15 February 2016
Leave judgment - leave granted
High Court decision
Judgment appealed from
Hearing
12 April 2016
Elias CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold, O’Regan JJPage 125 of 244