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.
27 September 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 27 September 2024) – Cases where leave granted (127 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 27 September 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 120 KB)
All years
Case name
Vaughn Bennett v The Queen
Case number
SC 16/2004 CRI 16/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction and sentence for charges of manslaughter and supply of a Class B drug - appellant administered methadone to victim - when a witness may be allowed to refresh his/her memory from statements made to police - when and how a timeline may be presented to a jury - whether a sentence of ten years' imprisonment (with a six year non-parole period) was within the range available to the sentencing judge. CA457/03 23 September 2004
Result
Application for leave to appeal refused.
10 December 2004
10 December 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Francis Anthony Jew and Lilian Gail Godfrey as executors of the will of the late Eric Schroder and trustees of the Clevedon Trust.
Case number
SC CIV 1/2004
Summary
Challenge to court directions on trustees' duties in respect of Family Protection Act appeal where the trust is residuary beneficiary in the estate. CA 241/03 26 February 2004
Result
Leave to appeal refused. 6 May 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
not publicly available
Case name
Jason Paul Burke v The Superintendent, Wellington Prison, The Parole Board and the Attorney-General.
Case number
SC CIV 3/2004
Summary
Habeas Corpus CA 79/03 26 May 2004
Result
Leave to appeal refused. 30 June 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Benjamin Eugene Manuel v The Superintendent, Hawkes Bay Prison
Case number
SC CIV 5/2004
Summary
Habeas Corpus - proper case scope of writ of habeas corpus under the Habeas Corpus Act 2001 - relationship with judicial review. Parole - nature of parole - test for recall - conformity with New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - Parole Board procedure on recall. CA 67/01 15 June 2004
Result
Leave to appeal refused. 3 August 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Case name
Otago Station Estates Limited v John Robert Parker; and David John Parker and Lorraine Maree Parker.
Case number
SC CIV 6/2004
Summary
Civil appeal - method of payment of a deposit in a conveyancing transaction where notice of intention to cancel for non-payment of deposit has been given - whether payment in law requires legal tender or whether tendering a personal cheque is sufficient. CA 158/03 10 June 2004
Result
Leave to appeal granted.
12 October 2004
_____________________
The appeal is dismissed. Costs in favour of the respondents are to be fixed following receipt of memoranda of counsel.
19 April 2005
12 October 2004
_____________________
The appeal is dismissed. Costs in favour of the respondents are to be fixed following receipt of memoranda of counsel.
19 April 2005
Leave judgment - leave granted
Judgment appealed from
Substantive judgment / Media release
Transcript
Hearing date : 12 October 2004
Gault J; Keith J.
Case name
Wynston Alexander Cecil Chirnside & Rattray Properties Limited v Richard Elmore Fay
Case number
SC CIV 7/2004
Summary
Civil appeal – commercial relationship for the purposes of property development – whether this gave rise to a joint venture of a commercial kind – whether a fiduciary relationship can arise where parties are negotiating towards a joint venture – whether in this case the parties owed fiduciary obligations to each other.
Result
A. The appeal and cross-appeal are each allowed in part.
B. The damages and interest awards made by the Court of Appeal are set aside.
C. The judgment entered for Mr Fay against Mr Chirnside in the High Court is varied from $495,000 to $850,000 plus interest as awarded by the High Court.
D. Judgment is entered for Mr Fay against Rattray Properties Ltd for $850,000 plus interest in the same terms as awarded against Mr Chirnside. E. The caveat lodged by Mr Fay against the title to the Harvey Norman project is to be removed. F. Mr Chirnside is to pay Mr Fay costs in respect of the proceedings in this court in the total sum of $15,000 plus disbursements, to be fixed if necessary by the registrar. The costs awarded to Mr Fay in the Court of Appeal are increased from $4,000 to $10,000. Costs in the High Court are to remain as fixed by that court. 6 September 2006
B. The damages and interest awards made by the Court of Appeal are set aside.
C. The judgment entered for Mr Fay against Mr Chirnside in the High Court is varied from $495,000 to $850,000 plus interest as awarded by the High Court.
D. Judgment is entered for Mr Fay against Rattray Properties Ltd for $850,000 plus interest in the same terms as awarded against Mr Chirnside. E. The caveat lodged by Mr Fay against the title to the Harvey Norman project is to be removed. F. Mr Chirnside is to pay Mr Fay costs in respect of the proceedings in this court in the total sum of $15,000 plus disbursements, to be fixed if necessary by the registrar. The costs awarded to Mr Fay in the Court of Appeal are increased from $4,000 to $10,000. Costs in the High Court are to remain as fixed by that court. 6 September 2006
Leave judgment - leave granted
Transcript
Substantive judgment / Media release
Case name
Te Runanga O Muriwhenua v Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission; The Attorney-General of New Zealand; The Minister of Fisheries; Te Kotahitanga O Te Arawa Fisheries Trust and Te Runanaga O Ngai Tahu
Case number
SC CIV 8/2004
Summary
Judicial review - allocation of assets provided in settlement of Maori commercial fishing claims - whether the final allocation model proposed by the Commission in its final report He Kawai Amokaura is unreasonable - whether the allocation model should have taken into account alleged inequities deriving from the way quota was managed by the Commission from 1990 onwards - whether the consultation undertaken by the Commission leading up to its final report on this issue was sufficient. CA 73/04 30 June 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 23 September 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Lionel William Burt v Liu Sheung Wong.
Case number
SC CIV 10/2004
Summary
Civil appeal - lawfulness of discretionary distributions of capital by trustees of an estate to life tenant - life tenant lent capital to eventual beneficiaries of residuary estate - whether discretionary distribution amounted to a fraud upon a power - whether trustees protected from personal liability by an exoneration clause or s73 Trustee Act 1956 - meaning of "honesty" in the context of an exoneration clause or s73 Trustee Act 1956. CA100/03 4 August 2004
Dates
Notice of abandonment of appeal being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
3 February 2005
Case name
Union House Limited and Union House Lease Limited v Auckland City Council.
Case number
SC CIV 11/2004
Summary
Civil appeal - contract interpretation - whether contract unassignable because of the existence of a confidentiality clause prohibiting disclosure of the terms of the agreement - whether the assignment was ineffective where the assigning party breached the confidentiality clause - whether the case should have been remitted back to the High Court to determine whether the pleadings could be amended to allege a breach of the confidentiality clause.
CA162/03 11 August 2004
Result
Leave to appeal granted.
15 December 2004
___________________
Appeal Hearing Date
22 March 2005
_____________
Notice of abandonment of appeal being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
23 March 2005
Leave judgment - leave granted
Transcription
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Pharmacy Care Systems Limited v The Attorney-General.
Case number
SC CIV 12/2004
Summary
Civil appeal - contract law - correct test for whether a contract or deed is voidable because it is entered into under duress - whether duress was established on the facts of this case - whether the Court of Appeal breached natural justice by finding that the applicant had affirmed the deed when affirmation was not pleaded by the respondent as a defence - whether affirmation by silence requires the respondent to have relied on that silence to its detriment. CA198/03 16 August 2004
Result
Leave to appeal refused. Costs to the respondent $1,000 plus disbursements as fixed by the Registrar. 9 November 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Page 245 of 249