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.
22 September 2026
Case information summary (as at 18 September 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 112 KB)
Case information summary (as at 18 September 2026) – Currently unavailable
All years
Case name
John Colman v The Police
Case number
SC 106/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Summary Offences Act 1981, s (4)(1)(a) – using insulting language within hearing of a public place, being reckless as to whether anyone was insulted by the words - discharged without conviction on appeal – leave refused to appeal to the Court of Appeal – whether the applicant’s rights under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 have been breached.CRI 2009 488 09 22 December 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
COLMAN v THE POLICE SC 106/2010 [8 December 2010] (PDF, 66 KB)
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
8 December 2010.
Case name
Brian Thomas Street v Michael John Brouwers
Case number
SC 111/2010
Summary
Civil Appeal – tort of removal of support and negligence – causation – landslip encroaching on common boundary of adjoining property causing land to subside and reducing the value of the adjoining property – whether the Court of Appeal erred on the issue of causation – whether the Court of Appeal erred in their approach to the tort of removal of support and negligence.[2010] NZCA 463 CA 374 /2009 13 October 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
STREET v BROUWERS SC 111/2010 [9 March 2011] (PDF, 60 KB)
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
9 March 2011
Case name
Graham Ashley Robert Palmer v The Queen
Case number
SC 119/2010
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction for dishonest use of a GST return – whether the conduct of the investigation and criminal prosecution of the applicant was in breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, s 30 of the Sentencing Act 2002 and the Judges’ Rules – whether the trial Judge misdirected the jury as to the identity of a witness – whether the trial Judge erred in his summing up to the jury – whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to take into account evidence produced by the applicant as to the value of goods – whether there has been error in the calculation of the period for which the applicant is subject to release conditions following his sentence of imprisonment[2010] NZCA 53 CA 349/2009 5 March 2010
Case name
Robert John Erwood v Janet Maxted and others and The Official Assignee
Case number
SC 21/2009
Summary
Civil Appeal – stay of advertising of bankruptcy.[2009] NZCA CA 545 /2008 17 February 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
27 February 2009
27 February 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Leroy John Barr v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 34/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – whether jurisdiction to order the payment of medical expenses incurred by the Police in administering a blood test against persons convicted of driving with excess blood alcohol. [2009] NZCA 124 CA 700/2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
16 June 2009
______________________
Appeal allowed. The order for payment of medical expenses of $102.60 is set aside. Insubstitution, the appellant is ordered to pay $93 towards medical expenses.
21 October 2009
16 June 2009
______________________
Appeal allowed. The order for payment of medical expenses of $102.60 is set aside. Insubstitution, the appellant is ordered to pay $93 towards medical expenses.
21 October 2009
Media Releases
- media barr v nz police (PDF, 39 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Transcript
Blanchard. Tipping, McGrath, Wilson, and Anderson JJ
Case name
John Kenneth Slavich v The Queen
Case number
SC 52/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction – Fraud – Summary Proceedings Act 1957 – Judicature Act 1908 – Parallel application for leave to appeal – Whether miscarriage of justice established – Whether evidence wrongly admitted – Whether trial counsel’s conduct inappropriate.CRI 2006–419–89 12 October 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
10 August 2009.
_______________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
______________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
10 August 2009.
_______________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
______________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SLAVICH V R SC 52/2009 10 August 2009 (PDF, 13 KB)
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R SC 52/2009 [13 September 2011] (PDF, 45 KB)
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2020] NZSC 34 [16 April 2020] (PDF, 149 KB)
Recall judgment
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 72 [21 June 2024] (PDF, 194 KB)
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 175 [19 December 2024] (PDF, 187 KB)
Case name
John Kenneth Slavich v The Queen
Case number
SC 53/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction – Fraud – Admissibility of Evidence – Judicature Act 1908 – Whether miscarriage of justice established by way of Court of Appeal’s alleged failure to consider all points raised on appeal – Whether evidence wrongly admitted – Whether Court of Appeal exceeded its jurisdiction in its evaluation of the evidence.[2009] NZCA 188 CA 461/2007 15 May 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
10 August 2009
_________________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
_____________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
10 August 2009
_________________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
_____________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 175 [19 December 2024] (PDF, 187 KB)
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R SC 52/2009 [13 September 2011] (PDF, 45 KB)
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SLAVICH V R SC 52/2009 10 August 2009 (PDF, 13 KB)
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2020] NZSC 34 [16 April 2020] (PDF, 149 KB)
Recall judgment
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 72 [21 June 2024] (PDF, 194 KB)
Case name
John Carr Laidlaw and Carol Anne Laidlaw v Geoffret Francis Parsonage and Timothy John Goulding
Case number
SC 67/2009
Summary
Civil appeal – contract law - Whether a nominee is entitled to enforce a contract; Whether the phrase "or nominee" is a sufficient designation for purposes of s 4 of the Contracts (Privity) Act 1982.[2009] NZCA 291 CA 304 /2008 9 July 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs $2,500 to the respondents. 21 September 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Red Eagle Corporation Limited v Richard John Otley Ellis
Case number
SC 72/2009
Summary
Civil appeal – whether the respondent is liable under s 9 of the Fair Trading Act 1986 for passing on information about a third party which induced the appellant to enter into a contact with that third party[2009] NZCA 320 CA 713/2008 24 July 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
7 October 2009
____________________
Appeal allowed and the judgment of the High Court is restored. Costs $15,000 plus reasonable disbursements in this Court. Order for costs in the Court of Appeal is reversed. HighCourt to fix costs that that has not already been done.
12 March 2010
7 October 2009
____________________
Appeal allowed and the judgment of the High Court is restored. Costs $15,000 plus reasonable disbursements in this Court. Order for costs in the Court of Appeal is reversed. HighCourt to fix costs that that has not already been done.
12 March 2010
Transcripts
- sc 72 2009 red eagle corporation limited v ellis (PDF, 377 KB)
Media Releases
- press release red eagle corp ltd (PDF, 40 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Transcript
Hearing date : 10 February 2010
Elias CJ, Blanchard, McGrath, Wilson, Anderson JJ.
Case name
Chesterfields Preschools Limited, David John Hampton and others v The Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 90/2009
Summary
Civil – GST Act 1995 - Costs awards – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in allowing the appeals of the Commissioner for a stay of payment of costs awards in favour of the applicant.[2009] NZCA 373 CA 607/2008 25 August 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs $3,000 plus disbursements to the respondent. 8 December 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
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