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.
14 May 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 14 May 2024) – Cases where leave granted (121 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 14 May 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 92 KB)
All years
Case name
Arthur William Taylor v The Queen
Case number
SC 5/2009
Summary
Criminal Appeal – kidnapping and escaping from lawful custody – appeal against conviction and sentence – whether a plea of previous acquittal was available to the applicant at his trial – whether the Court of Appeal was correct to hold that whether the applicant was in lawful custody was an issue for the judge – whether the sentence was excessive [2008] NZCA 558 CA 61/2008 17 December 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 May 2009
15 May 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TAYLOR v R SC 5/2009 [15 May 2009] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Beverley Rawleigh v Derek Maxwell Tait
Case number
SC 6/2009
Summary
Civil – Breach of fiduciary duty – Liability – Solicitor acted for both husband and wife in a transaction without informed consent of wife – Whether a solicitor is liable for losses flowing from a transaction in which he acted for a client in breach of his fiduciary duty to avoid conflicts of interest where the client would have entered into the transaction in any event.[2008] NZCA 525 CA 609/2007 3 December 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed. Costs $2,500 to the respondent.
17 February 2009
17 February 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Rawleigh v Tait SC 6/2009 [17 February 2009] (PDF, 16 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Kimberley Birkenfeld v Anthony Bruce Kendall and Yachting New Zealand Inc
Case number
SC 7/2009
Summary
Civil Appeal – damages claim in negligence following boating accident causing physical injury to the applicant – permanent stay ordered in Court of Appeal – whether Court of Appeal failed to consider issues before it – whether Court of Appeal should give reasons in relation to issues that did not need to be decided in order to dismiss the appeal – whether Court of Appeal sufficiently accommodated the applicant’s disabilities.[2008] NZCA 531 CA 570/2007 4 December 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed with costs $2500 to the respondents jointly. 1 July 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BIRKENFELD v KENDALL SC 7/2009 [1 July 2009] (PDF, 17 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Arshad Mahmood Chatha v The Queen
Case number
SC 8/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction and sentence – Whether Court of Appeal erred in concluding sentence not manifestly excessive and/or wrong in principle – Sentencing Act 2002, s 30 – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding requirements of s 30 satisfied – Appeal against two recusal judgments – New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, s 25(a) – Whether Court of Appeal erred in dismissing application for Judge’ s recusal.[2008] NZCA 427 CA 685/2007 10 December 2008
Result
Application for leave to amend the grounds of appeal is dismissed. Application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 24 March 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CHATHA v R SC 8/2009 [24 March 2009] (PDF, 19 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Michael Joseph Cavanagh v The Queen
Case number
SC 9/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – application for an extension of time for appeal – convictions for offences relating to the supply of methamphtamine – forfeiture orders were made under s 15(1) Proceeds of Crime Act for a range of property – appeal on forfeiture orders made out of time – whether delay due to conduct of counsel – whether leave to appeal out of time should be granted[2008] NZCA 579 CA 57/2008 22 December 2008
Result
Notice of abandonment being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed. 23 March 2009
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Shannon Kay Stevens v Solicitor-General
Case number
SC 10/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – application for an extension of time for appeal – convictions for offences relating to the supply of methamphtamine – forfeiture orders were made under s 15(1) Proceeds of Crime Act for a range of property – appeal on forfeiture orders made out of time – whether delay due to conduct of counsel – whether leave to appeal out of time should be granted[2008] NZCA 579 CA 325/2008 22 December 2008
Result
Notice of abandonment being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
23 March 2009
23 March 2009
Case name
Alana Glenys-May Thomas v The Queen
Case number
SC 11/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal from decision of the Court of Appeal allowing the admission of certain evidence at trial – Police executing a search warrant obtained the evidence through a search of an apartment – Applicant pleaded guilty to variety of drug-related offences – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the police search warrant was lawful and the evidence lawfully and properly obtained – Whether the Court of Appeal should have given greater weight to the breach of s 198 of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 in determining whether the evidence should have been admitted.[2008] NZCA 4352 CA 81/2008 8 September 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
7 April 2009
7 April 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
THOMAS v R SC 11/2009 [7 April 2009] (PDF, 16 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Te Ingoa Turaki v The Queen
Case number
SC 12/2009
Summary
Criminal - Whether trial judge erred in summing up to jury by not properly putting the appellant’s principal defence “lack of murderous intent” adequately before the jury – Whether failure to sum up amounted to a miscarriage of justice.{2008] NZCA 543 CA 669/2007 10 December 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
9 March 2009
9 March 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TURAKI v R SC 12/2009 [9 March 2009] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
David Cullen Bain v The Queen
Case number
SC 13/2009
Summary
[2009] NZCA CA 769/2008 30 January 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
24 February 2009
_______________________
A The appeal is allowed. B The disputed evidence is excluded and the material in issue is to be excised.
18 March 2009
24 February 2009
_______________________
A The appeal is allowed. B The disputed evidence is excluded and the material in issue is to be excised.
18 March 2009
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
BAIN V R SC 13/2009 [6 March 2009] (PDF, 12 KB)
Additional document
Transcript hearing date 2 March 2009 (PDF, 352 KB)
Substantive judgment
BAIN v R (REASONS) SC 13/2009 [6 March 2009] (PDF, 158 KB)
Recall judgment
BAIN v R SC 13/2009 [25 May 2009] (PDF, 11 KB)
Additional document
Transcript hearing date 11 June 2009 (PDF, 39 KB)
Supreme court decision
BAIN v R SC 13/2009 [11 June 2009] (PDF, 16 KB)
Case name
Audrey Bredmeyer v The Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development
Case number
SC 14/2009
Summary
Civil appeal - New Zealander living in Australia seeks payment of New Zealand superannuation – whether Article 9.3 of the Agreement on Social Security, Schedule 1 Social Welfare (Reciprocity with Australia) Order makes payment of New Zealand superannuation contingent on meeting the income test and asset test for Australian pensions – whether the social purpose behind the current Agreement on Social Security between New Zealand and Australia differs from previous agreements - whether the Court of Appeal accorded natural justice to the Appellant.[2008] NZCA 557 CA 666/2007 17 December 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs $2,500 to respondent.
30 March 2009
30 March 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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