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
Colyn David Stoves v The Queen
Case number
SC 44/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal - whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to give sufficient weight to the delay between conviction and sentencing in assessing the applicant’s appeal against sentence - whether the Court of Appeal wrongly concluded that the Crown was not obliged to make an application under s 344A of the Crimes Act when advised that the admissibility of certain evidence was to be challenged by the applicant . CA 457/04 24 May 2005
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 22 September 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
STOVES V R SC 44/2005 [22 September 2005] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Richard Shane Keenan v The Queen
Case number
SC 45/2005
Summary
Appeal against sentence - possession of a Class A controlled drug - whether Court of Appeal properly assessed starting point in sentencing. CA 425/04 23 June 2005
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 7 September 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
KEENAN V R SC 45/2005 [7 September 2005] (PDF, 18 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Roger John Payne v Jeanette Rosslyn Payne
Case number
SC 46/2005
Summary
Application for injunction to prevent sale of house - whether abuse of process . CA 239/04 CA 63/05 25 May 2005
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed 28 July 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
PAYNE V PAYNE SC 46/2005 [28 July 2005] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Neil Martin Clarke v The Queen
Case number
SC 47/2005
Summary
Appeal against summary conviction and sentence - whether a trespass notice issued against the appellant was invalid - whether there was counsel error in the conduct of the appeal to the Court of Appeal. CRI 2003 485 00028 15 April 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed 29 August 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CLARKE V R SC 47/2005 [29 August 2005] (PDF, 17 KB)
Case name
Richard Geoffrey Bull v The Queen
Case number
SC 48/2005
Summary
Criminal law - whether defence counsel conduct resulted in a miscarriage of justice - whether total sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment was manifestly excessive. CA 143/04 8 November 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 8 December 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BULL v R SC 48/2005 [8 December 2005] (PDF, 19 KB)
Case name
L v The Queen
Case number
SC 49/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction - appellant convicted of sexual violation and attempted sexual violation - whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the trial Judge did not misdirect the jury - whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding the verdicts were capable of being supported by the evidence – whether the Court of Appeal erred in the standard required for an attempt.
CA 115/05 18 July 2005
Result
Leave to appeal granted
7 October 2005
Leave judgment - leave granted
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Case name
Alain Michael Mafart and Dominique Angela Francoise Prieur v Television New Zealand Limited
Case number
SC 50/2005
Summary
Leave to search, inspect and copy criminal records held by the High Court - videotape of Rainbow Warrior proceedings - jurisdiction of Court of Appeal - whether application for leave to search is civil or criminal - whether Court of Appeal jurisdiction precluded by the Judicature Act 1908, s 66. CA 92/05 4 August 2005
Result
Leave to appeal granted 21 September 2005
Leave judgment - leave granted
Transcript
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Klaus Löwer v Gary Traveller and John Anthony Waller
Case number
SC 51/2005
Summary
Company Law - whether the respondents had an accrued cause of action for reckless trading giving them an "existing right" under s320(1)(b) of the Companies Act - whether the applicant was in breach of s320(1)(b) Companies Act 1955 - whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of ss17-19 Interpretation Act 1999 .
CA 36/04 26 July 2005
Result
Leave to appeal granted.
2 December 2005
Leave judgment - leave granted
Transcript
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Noel Clement Rogers v The Queen
Case number
SC 52/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal - whether the Court erred in finding post arrest statements by the accused admissible - whether allowing the statements to be admitted is inconsistent with ss 23 and 24 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 - whether, no appeal having been heard by the Court of Appeal, this is an appropriate case to "leap frog" under s 14 of the Supreme Court Act 2003 . CRI 2004 004 013121 2 August 2005
Result
Notice of abandonment being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed. 29 September 2005
Case name
Wholesale Distributors Limited v Gibbons Holdings Limited
Case number
SC 53/2005
Summary
Construction of lease documents and whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the appellant was bound to meet the contractual obligations of the sub-lessee under the deed of assignment of lease -“ whether the Court of Appeal erred in focusing on the purpose of the parties - “ legal effect of provisions used to avoid the grant of a sub-lease which operates as an assignment of the headlease.CA 102/04 28 July 2005
Result
Leave to appeal granted
1 December 2005
___________________________
The appeal is dismissed.
The appellant is to pay the respondent costs of $15,000 together with its reasonable disbursements to be fixed if necessary by the Registrar.
30 May 2007
1 December 2005
___________________________
The appeal is dismissed.
The appellant is to pay the respondent costs of $15,000 together with its reasonable disbursements to be fixed if necessary by the Registrar.
30 May 2007
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Judgment appealed from
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