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.
31 July 2026
Case information summary (as at 31 July 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary (as at 31 July 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 131 KB)
All years
Case name
John Archibald Banks v The Queen
Case number
SC 41/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1967, s 5 – Whether the Court of Appeal and High Court erred in declining to award costs to the applicant following his acquittal.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay costs to the respondent of $2,500.
28 June 2017
B The applicant must pay costs to the respondent of $2,500.
28 June 2017
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JOHN ARCHIBALD BANKS v R [2017] NZSC 98 28 June 2017 (PDF, 84 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Michael John Denney v The Queen
Case number
SC 44/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
9 June 2017
9 June 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MICHAEL JOHN DENNEY v R [2017] NZSC 85 9 June 2017 (PDF, 71 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Craig Alexander Sanson and David John Bridgman v Ebert Construction Limited
Case number
SC 68/2017
Summary
Civil Appeal – Companies Act 2006 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the payments were not made by the insolvent company – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the respondent did not receive more than they would have in liquidation – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that a transaction was not an insolvent transaction.
Result
A notice of abandonment having been lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
High Court decision
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Sione (John) Uaine Moala v The Queen
Case number
SC 89/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the claimed failure of trial counsel and counsel in the Court of Appeal to pursue certain arguments amounts to a miscarriage of justice.
Result
Leave is granted for application for leave to appeal to be withdrawn without prejudice to the applicants entitlement to re-apply later. 5 February 2018
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Douglas John Williamson v The Queen
Case number
SC 7/2016
Summary
Criminal appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that no miscarriage of justice occurred despite trial counsel acting inconsistently with his client’s instructions – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of the Animal Welfare Act 1999, s 28 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining an application to adduce further evidence. [2015] NZCA 621 CA 398/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
26 April 2016
26 April 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
John Blackwood Williamson v The Queen
Case number
SC 8/2016
Summary
Criminal appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that no miscarriage of justice occurred despite trial counsel acting inconsistently with his client’s instructions – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of the Animal Welfare Act 1999, s 28 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining an application to adduce further evidence.[2015] NZCA 621 CA 399/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 26 April 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
The Queen v GJA and Privacy Commissioner (intervener)
Case number
SC 12/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 30 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in excluding evidence on the basis that it was improperly obtained.
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (R v Alsford [2015] NZCA 628).
B The issues are:
(i) whether the electricity consumption records were improperly obtained from the service provider;
(ii) whether the Court of Appeal was correct to hold that evidence that had earlier been excluded as improperly obtained could not be relied on; and
(iii) whether, even if improperly obtained, the evidence should be admitted under s 30(2)(b) of the Evidence Act 2006.
15 March 2016
_____________
A The appeal is allowed. The evidence obtained from the searches conducted on 19 December 2012 is admissible at trial.
B Order prohibiting publication of the judgment or any part of the proceedings (including the result) in the news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of the trial. Publication in a law report or law digest permitted.
29 March 2017
B The issues are:
(i) whether the electricity consumption records were improperly obtained from the service provider;
(ii) whether the Court of Appeal was correct to hold that evidence that had earlier been excluded as improperly obtained could not be relied on; and
(iii) whether, even if improperly obtained, the evidence should be admitted under s 30(2)(b) of the Evidence Act 2006.
15 March 2016
_____________
A The appeal is allowed. The evidence obtained from the searches conducted on 19 December 2012 is admissible at trial.
B Order prohibiting publication of the judgment or any part of the proceedings (including the result) in the news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of the trial. Publication in a law report or law digest permitted.
29 March 2017
Date of hearing
16 June 2016
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
R v GREGORY JOHN ALSFORD [2017] NZSC 42 [29 March 2017] (PDF, 505 KB)
Case name
John Morgan MacKenzie v The Attorney-General
Case number
SC 21/2016
Summary
Civil Appeal – Limitation Act 1950 – Whether the High Court erred in its interpretation of the Limitation Act 1950. [2015] NZHC 1876 CIV 2012-470-000977
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 June 2016 __
1 June 2016 __
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Judgment appealed from
Case name
John Alfred Robinson v The Queen
Case number
SC 55/2016
Summary
Criminal appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 43(3)(e) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of the “collusion or suggestibility” criterion in assessing admissibility of propensity evidence under s 43. [2016] NZCA 188 CA375/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
13 July 2016
13 July 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
[2016] NZCA 188 CA375/2015 not available _
Case name
Dean John Drever v The Queen
Case number
SC 64/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether Court of Appeal was wrong to hold that there was not a miscarriage of justice– Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the minimum period of imprisonment. [2016] NZCA 249 CA457/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
27 July 2016
27 July 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DEAN JOHN DREVER v R [2016] NZSC 92 27 July 2016 (PDF, 94 KB)
Judgment appealed from
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