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.
28 November 2025
Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 120 KB)
All years
Case name
Minister of Fisheries and The Chief Executive of the Ministry of Fisheries v Antons Trawling Limited, Esperance Fishing Co Limited and Orneagan Developments Limited
Case number
SC 84/2007
Summary
Summary Civil – appeal from a Court of Appeal decision which granted interim relief to the Respondents against a decision, of the Minister of Fisheries, to reduce the Total Allowable Catch/Total Allowable Commercial Catch for an Orange Roughy fish stock – Applicant claims that the Court of Appeal erred in law, by failing to follow the test in Carlton & United Breweries v Minister of Customs [1986] 1 NZLR 423 when determining the scope of the remedy under s 8 Judicature Amendment Act 1972 and the approach to be adopted – Applicant also claims that the Court of Appeal erred by granting interim relief in the absence of evidence, and by determining that any level of likely monetary loss was sufficient to meet the test of necessity. Application made for urgent hearing, given the practical consequences of the decision for the Orange Roughy population and the potentially wide-ranging effects of the decision on appeal. [2007] NZCA 512 CA 101/07 19 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs $2,500 to the respondents jointly. 6 December 2007
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Steelbro New Zealand Ltd v Tidd Ross Todd Ltd Summary Civil – Copyright Act 1994 – High Court found applicant had infringed copyright in plaintiff’ s sideloading container trailer – decision upheld by Court of Appeal – whether Court of Appeal failed to
Case number
SC 85/2007
Summary
[2007] NZCA 486 CA 7/06 2 November 2007
Result
Notice of abandonment being lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed. 21 February 2008
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Stephen Peter Tandy v The Queen
Case number
SC 86/2007
Summary
Criminal appeal – sentencing – Court of Appeal quashed the sentence of six and a half years imposed by the District Court judge and replaced it with a sentence of eight years – whether the Court of Appeal was correct to increase the sentence imposed in the District Court – in particular, whether courts are obliged to accept eight years as the starting point in cases of sexual violation by rape – whether a guilty plea made after the complainant has given evidence is necessarily less worthy than a guilty plea that spares the complainant the need to give evidence – whether a guilty plea entered part way through trial by one accused is of assistance to the Crown with respect to bolstering the credibility of the complainant’ s evidence – whether the trial judge has an unfettered right to enter a merciful sentence – whether the Court of Appeal made material factual errors – whether the Court of Appeal’s approach has resulted in a miscarriage of justice.[2007] NZCA 550 CA 511/07 29 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 22 February 2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TANDY v R SC 86/2007 [22 February 2008] (PDF, 21 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Phillip Hans Field v Malcolm James Burgess
Case number
SC 87/2007
Summary
Criminal appeal – sentencing – Court of Appeal quashed the sentence of six and a half years imposed by the District Court judge and replaced it with a sentence of eight years – whether the Court of Appeal was correct to increase the sentence imposed in the District Court – in particular, whether courts are obliged to accept eight years as the starting point in cases of sexual violation by rape – whether a guilty plea made after the complainant has given evidence is necessarily less worthy than a guilty plea that spares the complainant the need to give evidence – whether a guilty plea entered part way through trial by one accused is of assistance to the Crown with respect to bolstering the credibility of the complainant’ s evidence – whether the trial judge has an unfettered right to enter a merciful sentence – whether the Court of Appeal made material factual errors – whether the Court of Appeal’s approach has resulted in a miscarriage of justice.[2007] NZCA 550 CA 511/07 29 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 17 December 2007
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
FIELD v BURGESS SC 87/2007 [17 December 2007] (PDF, 16 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Kevin Joseph Charles Little v R
Case number
SC 88/2007
Summary
Summary Criminal – appeal against conviction and sentence – murder of baby daughter – whether verdict supportable having regard to the evidence (s 385(1)(a) Crimes Act 1961) – whether admission of expert evidence of geophysicist (animation of applicant’s pre-trial explanation of incident) resulted in a miscarriage of justice – whether minimum non-parole period of 17 years manifestly unjust.[2007] NZCA 491 CA 557/07 9 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
22 February 2008
22 February 2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
LITTLE V R SC 88/2007 [22 February 2008] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Alan Ivo Greer v The Queen
Case number
SC 89/2007
Summary
Criminal appeal – rehearing of appeal against conviction for driving while disqualified, pursuant to R v Smith [2003] NZLR 617 – whether Court of Appeal erred in not allowing appeal against conviction - whether the applicant was prevented from bringing a defence because photographic and transcript evidence had been destroyed or not disclosed - whether the Court of Appeal gave proper consideration to evidence – whether applicant was given necessary access to Court records – whether there was a miscarriage of justice. [2007] NZCA 517 CA 161/06 20 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
22 May 2008
22 May 2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
GREER v R SC 89/2007 [22 May 2008] (PDF, 14 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
G v The Queen
Case number
SC 90/2007
Summary
Criminal appeal – appeal against 10 convictions for sexual offences – whether applicant had necessary facilities for making appeal – whether there was a miscarriage of justice. [2007] NZCA 518 CA 179/06 20 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
22 May 2008
22 May 2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
G v R SC 90/2007 [22 May 2008] (PDF, 14 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Geoffrey Charles Dury and others v Palmerston North City Council and others
Case number
SC 91/2007
Summary
Civil appeal – Resource Management Act 1991 – application by third respondent (an orthodontist) for consent to use a dwelling in a residential area for a non-residential purpose – proposal failed to comply with conditions of District Plan and required a restricted discretionary resource consent, which Council granted without requiring notification – High Court quashed Council’s consent – Court of Appeal overturned High Court decision and restored resource consent – in the meantime, third respondent had applied for and been granted a second resource consent, subject to more restrictive conditions than the first – whether second consent replaced first consent in toto in accordance with Sutton v Moule (1992) 2 NZRMA 41 – whether third respondent may be deemed to have abandoned first consent by making and proceeding with second application and complying with its conditions – alternatively, whether the two consents coexist and third respondent must comply with the conditions of both – whether the consent that is later in time should prevail – whether the Court of Appeal was correct in holding that it had no discretion as to the available remedy – whether the Court of Appeal correctly applied the principles of the Discount Brands case ([2005] 2 NZLR 597) in relation to dispensing with public notification – application for stay of execution of Court of Appeal’s costs orders.[2007] NZCA 521 CA 198/06 CA 211/06 20 November 2007
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed with costs of $1,000 to the first respondent and $1,000 jointly to the second and third respondents.
1 April 2008
1 April 2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Colin Todd Parker v The Queen
Case number
SC 92/2007
Summary
Criminal – appeal against conviction of indecently assaulting a girl under 12 years – whether the Court of Appeal erred by holding that the fact the defence had not produced evidence of a motive for the complainant to give false evidence was relevant to the jury’s assessment of her credibility – whether the trial judge’s summing up conformed with R v T [1998] 2 NZLR 257 - whether R v T should represent the law in New Zealand insofar as it allows juries to regard a complainant’s evidence as more likely to be true where the defence has not offered any evidence for why the defendant might lie – whether R v T reverses the onus of proof in breach of sections 25(c) and (d) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. [2007] NZCA 534 CA 479/07 CA 572/07 CA 211/06 22 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 15 April 2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
PARKER v R SC 92/2007 [15 April 2008] (PDF, 20 KB)
Case name
Vince and Jane Siemer and Paragon Services Limited v Kate Fardell, Executrix for Robert Fardell
Case number
SC 93/2007
Summary
Summary Civil – interlocutory – applicants seeking trial by jury in proceedings for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty – whether Court of Appeal erred in confirming decision of High Court to grant respondent’ s application for an order that the trial be held before a Judge alone – applicability of s 19A(5)(a) and/or (b) Judicature Act 1908 – applicants alleging conflicts of interest on part of High Court and Court of Appeal Judges.[2007] NZCA 530 CA 171/07 22 November 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs $1500 to respondent. 28 February 2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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