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
David George Saggers v The Queen
Case number
SC 47/2009
Summary
Criminal Appeal – the appellant was convicted in the High Court for manufacturing methamphetamine and possessing equipment capable of being used in the manufacture of methamphetamine – Court of Appeal allowed the appellant’s appeal against conviction on the manufacturing charge and ordered a retrial but upheld the appellant’s conviction for possessing equipment capable of being used in the manufacture of methamphetamine – Appellant was found not guilty on the manufacturing charge at the retrial – Whether the guilty verdict on the charge of possessing equipment is inconsistent with the not guilty verdict on the manufacturing charge, amounting to a miscarriage of justice.[2008] NZCA 364 CA 121/2008 12 September 2008
Result
Application to leave to appeal dismissed. 30 July 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SAGGERS V R SC 47/2009 30 July 2009 (PDF, 14 KB)
Case name
Vincent Ross Siemer v Solicitor-General
Case number
SC 48/2009
Summary
Civil/Criminal Appeal – Offences – Contempt of Court – New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 – Appeal against decision committing appellant to prison for contempt – Whether Court of Appeal erred in holding contempt proceedings civil in nature – Whether appellant wrongly denied opportunity to elect trial by jury.[2009] NZCA 62 CA 447/2008 9 March 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
7 August 2009
______________________
The appeal is allowed and the order made by the Court of Appeal is quashed. It is replaced by an order committing the appellant to prison for a term of a maximum of three months, subject to the proviso that the term of imprisonment will come to an immediate end if the appellant complies with the injunction issued on 5 May 2005 and made permanent on 23 December 2008 by the High Court at Auckland in the proceeding Korda Mentha v Siemer HC Auckland CIV-2005-404-1808, 23 December 2008 and if he also provides an undertaking to the High Court in a form approved by the High Court that he and Paragon Oil Services Ltd will continue to comply with that injunction for so long as it remains in force. Mr Siemer is ordered to surrender to his bail at the High Court in Auckland no later than 4pm on 20 May 2010 unless by then he has complied with the injunction and provided that undertaking to the High Court in a form approved by it.
17 May 2010
____________________________
Application for recall of judgment dismissed.
11 June 2010
_____________________________
Further application for recall of judgment dismissed.
15 June 2010
7 August 2009
______________________
The appeal is allowed and the order made by the Court of Appeal is quashed. It is replaced by an order committing the appellant to prison for a term of a maximum of three months, subject to the proviso that the term of imprisonment will come to an immediate end if the appellant complies with the injunction issued on 5 May 2005 and made permanent on 23 December 2008 by the High Court at Auckland in the proceeding Korda Mentha v Siemer HC Auckland CIV-2005-404-1808, 23 December 2008 and if he also provides an undertaking to the High Court in a form approved by the High Court that he and Paragon Oil Services Ltd will continue to comply with that injunction for so long as it remains in force. Mr Siemer is ordered to surrender to his bail at the High Court in Auckland no later than 4pm on 20 May 2010 unless by then he has complied with the injunction and provided that undertaking to the High Court in a form approved by it.
17 May 2010
____________________________
Application for recall of judgment dismissed.
11 June 2010
_____________________________
Further application for recall of judgment dismissed.
15 June 2010
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
SIEMER v SOLICITOR-GENERAL SC 48/2009 [17 May 2010] (PDF, 159 KB)
Transcript
Hearing date : recusal 26 February 2017
Elias CJ, Blanchard, McGrath, Wilson, Anderson JJ
Case Number
SC 48/2009
Case name
Stephen Michael Shone v The Queen
Case number
SC 49/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – sentencing – whether the decision of the Court of Appeal is consistent with decisions made in comparable cases – whether the Court of Appeal failed to take into account the alleged facilitation of offending by a victim’s mother – whether the sentences imposed were manifestly excessive[2009] NZCA 183 CA 720/2008 14 May 2008
Result
Application to leave to appeal dismissed. 29 July 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHONE V R SC 49/2009 29 July 2009 (PDF, 12 KB)
Case name
RB v The Queen
Case number
SC 50/2009
Summary
Criminal – Wounding with intent to injure – Whether a defence of consent available - Whether the Court of Appeal erred in ordering a retrial after quashing the appellant’s convictions, given the factual findings made by the District Court Judge – Whether a retrial would result in a substantial miscarriage of justice, having regard to events which have occurred after the Court of Appeal judgment[2009] NZCA 186 CA 733/2008 15 May 2008
Result
Notice of Abandonment of Appeal being lodged, the application is deemed to be dismissed. 7 July 2009
Case name
Penelope Mary Bright v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 51/2009
Summary
Criminal – Trespass Act 1980 – appellant arrested and charged with the offence of trespass under ss 3(1) and 11(2)(a) of the Trespass Act following refusal to leave a Council meeting when asked to do so – appellant subsequently convicted in the District Court – whether the Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act 1987 negates the Trespass Act since removal of a person under s 50 of the Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act is a complete remedy in itself – whether the minimum threshold for convicting under the Trespass Act was not met because the appellant was never warned for trespass before being charged and convicted.[2009] NZCA 187 CA 796/2008 15 May 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 6 August 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BRIGHT V NEW ZEALAND POLICE SC 51/2009 6 August 2009 (PDF, 14 KB)
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
Benjamin Morland Easton v Broadcasting Commission and Broadcasting Standards Authority
Case number
SC 55/2009
Summary
Civil – Security for costs – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in requiring security for costs before hearing – Whether the Court of Appeal’s requirement for security of costs amounts to an unreasonable barrier to Court access and is discriminatory – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss allegedly “uncontested evidence”[2009] NZCA 252 CA 793/2008 17 June 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 5 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
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