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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.

8 November 2024

Case information summary 2024 (as at 8 November 2024) –  Cases where leave granted (126 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 8 November 2024)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 116 KB)

All years

Case name
Robert Roper v Mariya Ann Taylor and Attorney-General
Case number
SC 57/2020
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal.
Result
A The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B Leave is reserved for the applicants to make a further application for leave to appeal to this Court on the issue of false imprisonment if the application to the Court of Appeal for recall of its judgment is unsuccessful.
C The Attorney General must pay Ms Taylor costs of $1,250.
22 December 2020
High Court decision
M v ROPER [2018] NZHC 2330 [5 September 2018]
Court of Appeal decision
TAYLOR v ROPER [2020] NZCA 268 [1 July 2020]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ATTORNEY-GENERAL v MARIYA ANN TAYLOR [2020] NZSC 152 [21 December 2020] (PDF, 49 KB)
Case name
Jason David Signal v The Queen
Case number
SC 58/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
9 September 2020
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JASON DAVID SIGNAL v R [2020] NZSC 90 [9 September 2020] (PDF, 39 KB)
Case name
Michael Richard Smith v The Queen
Case number
SC 59/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B The application for bail is dismissed.
10 September 2020
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Tyrone Wayne Underhill and Kane Joseph Underhill v Coca-Cola Amatil (NZ) Limited
Case number
SC 60/2020
Summary
Civil Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
30 September 2020
Court of Appeal decision
UNDERHILL & ANOR v COCA-COLA AMATIL (NZ) LTD [2020] NZCA 267 [30 June 2020]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TYRONE WAYNE UNDERHILL v COCA-COLA AMATIL (NZ) LIMITED [2020] NZSC 103 [30 September 2020] (PDF, 48 KB)
Case name
Ross Easton Barber v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 61/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal Is dismissed.
15 October 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ROSS EASTON BARBER v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2020] NZSC 111 [15 October 2020] (PDF, 46 KB)
Case name
Asher Pradeepkumar Ratnam v The Queen
Case number
SC 62/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
7 October 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
RATNAM v R [2020] NZCA 314 [27 July 2020]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ASHER PRADEEPKUMAR RATNAM v R [2020] NZSC 107 [7 October 2020] (PDF, 45 KB)
Case name
Brownie Joseph Harding v The Queen
Case number
SC 63/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal against conviction is dismissed (Harding v R [2019] NZCA 259).
C The application for leave to appeal against sentence is granted (Harding v R [2020] NZCA 217). The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal against sentence.
D The Registrar is to set down the appeal against sentence to be heard together with the appeal against sentence in Berkland v R [2020] NZSC 125.
17 November 2020
High Court decision
R v HARDING [2017] NZHC 675 [7 April 2017]
Court of Appeal decision
HARDING v R [2019] NZCA 259 [26 June 2019]
Leave judgment - leave granted
BROWNIE JOSEPH HARDING v R [2020] NZSC 127 [17 November 2020] (PDF, 83 KB)
Case name
Brownie Joseph Harding v The King
Case number
SC 64/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal against conviction is dismissed (Harding v R [2019] NZCA 259).
C The application for leave to appeal against sentence is granted (Harding v R [2020] NZCA 217). The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal against sentence.
D The Registrar is to set down the appeal against sentence to be heard together with the appeal against sentence in Berkland v R [2020] NZSC 125.
17 November 2020
________________________________________________________________
A Mr Berkland’s appeal in SC 40/2020 is allowed. His sentence of 12 years and nine months’ imprisonment, together with a 50 per cent MPI, is quashed, and a sentence of eight years and eight months’ imprisonment is substituted.
B Mr Harding’s appeal in SC 64/2020 is allowed. His sentence of 28 and a half years is quashed, and a new sentence of 21 years is substituted. There is no adjustment to the MPI.
7 December 2022
Date of hearing
23 March 2021
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Media Releases
High Court decision
R v HARDING [2017] NZHC 675 [7 April 2017]
Court of Appeal decision
HARDING v R [2020] NZCA 217 [5 June 2020]
Leave judgment - leave granted
BROWNIE JOSEPH HARDING v R [2020] NZSC 127 [17 November 2020] (PDF, 83 KB)
Substantive judgment
WILLIAM ALLAN BERKLAND v R [2022] NZSC 143 [7 December 2022] (PDF, 459 KB)
Case name
Robert Frank Terry v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 65/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ROBERT FRANK TERRY v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2020] NZSC 105 [2 October 2020] (PDF, 121 KB)
Case name
Ernest Smith v The Queen
Case number
SC 66/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
7 October 2020
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
SMITH v R [2016] NZCA 617 [16 December 2016]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ERNEST SMITH v R [2020] NZSC 106 [7 October 2020] (PDF, 53 KB)
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