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.

19 June 2026

Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 89 KB)
Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 126 KB) 

All years

Case name
W V The Family Court at North Shore and The Chief Executive o the Ministry of Vulnerable Children
Case number
SC 120/2017
Summary
Civil Appeal – Court of Appeal (Civil) Rules 2005 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining an application for extension of time.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the second respondent.
8th February 2018
High Court decision
W v THE FAMILY COURT AT NORTH SHORE [2014] NZHC 2483 [9 October 2014]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
W (SC 120/2017) v THE FAMILY COURT AT NORTH SHORE [2018] NZSC 10 [8 February 2018] (PDF, 210 KB)
Court of Appeal decision

W (CA317/2017) V THE FAMILY COURT AT NORTH SHORE [2017] NZCA 481 [20 October 2017]
Case name
Razdan Rafiq v Attorney-General, Secretary for Department of Internal Affairs, Independent Police Complaints Authority, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development, Commissioner of Police and Auckland Council
Case number
SC 122/2017
Summary
Civil Appeal – Senior Courts Act 2016, s 166 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding it did not have jurisdiction to review the decision of the Deputy Registrar.
Result
The application is dismissed for want of jurisdiction                                              4 December 2017
High Court decision
RAFIQ v ATTORNEY-GENERAL & ORS [2017] NZHC 1852 [4 August 2017]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
RAZDAN RAFIQ v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2017] NZSC 182 [4 December 2017] (PDF, 192 KB)
Recall judgment
RAZDAN RAFIQ v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2018] NZSC 45 [14 May 2018] (PDF, 236 KB)
Judgment appealed from
[2017] NZCA 495 not publicly available
Case name
Michael Thrift Murray v The Queen
Case number
SC 123/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961, s 48 – Whether Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction – Whether the trial Judge gave adequate directions on the elements of self-defence and defence of another.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
23 February 2018
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MICHAEL THRIFT MURRAY v R [2018] NZSC 15 [23 February 2018] (PDF, 214 KB)
Judgment appealed from
not publicly available
Case name
Te Tangata Whenua (as Third Party and Personal Representative of Rhys Warren) v The Queen
Case number
SC 127/2017
Summary
Civil Appeal – Habeas Corpus – Whether the High Court erred in not granting the writ.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                                 13 December 2017
High Court decision
WARREN v THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS [2017] NZHC 2832 [17 November 2017]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TE TANGATA WHENUA (WARREN) v THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS [2017] NZSC 189 [13 December 2017] (PDF, 197 KB)
Judgment appealed from
N/A
Case name
Kulbir Singh and Navjot Kaur v Chief Executive, Ministry of Busines, Innovation and Employment
Case number
SC 5/2016
Summary
Civil Appeal – Immigration Act, s 177 – Whether Court of Appeal interpreted s 177 Immigration Act correctly ­– Whether Court of Appeal applied the correct standard for unreasonableness to a deportation decision.[2015] NZCA 592  CA 484/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
19  April 2016
High Court decision
SINGH & KAUR v CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND EMPLOYMENT  [2014] NZHC 1916       14 August 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
KULBIR SINGH AND NAVJOT KAUR v THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND EMPLOYMENT [2016] NZSC 39    19 April 2016 (PDF, 70 KB)
Judgment appealed from

SINGH v CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND EMPLOYMENT [2015] NZCA 592    8 December 2015

Case name
C v The Queen
Case number
SC 23/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the offence for controlled drug analogues is sufficiently certain to found a safe prosecution – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the Trial Judge’s directions were correct – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in regard to the mens rea requirements for the offence – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in relation to the defences available to the applicants – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding that the question whether a substance is a controlled drug analogue is one for the jury.[2016] NZCA 48  CA 287/2015 CA 161/2015
Result

A Leave to appeal against conviction is granted to all applicants (JPC v R [2016] NZCA 48) (Ellen France P, Wild and Miller JJ).
B Subject to order C below, the approved question is whether the Court of Appeal should have allowed the applicants’ appeal against conviction.
C In relation to JPC's application for leave to appeal against conviction, the approved question is qualified so as to exclude his contention that the verdicts on one charge on which he was acquitted and another on which he was convicted were inconsistent.
D JPC’s application for leave to appeal against sentence is dismissed.

14 July 2016

____________________

Judgment released                                                                                              

Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final dispositon of related trials of Appellants C (SC 23/2016) and L (SC 24/2016). Publication in Law Report or Law Digest permitted.                                                                                                                       

19 June 2017                            
Leave judgment

not publicly available
Judgment appealed from

JPC v R [2016] NZCA 48) (Ellen France P, Wild and Miller JJ not electronically available
Case name
AL v The Queen
Case number
SC 24/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the offence for controlled drug analogues is sufficiently certain to found a safe prosecution – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the Trial Judge’s directions were correct – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in regard to the mens rea requirements for the offence – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in relation to the defences available to the applicants – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding that the question whether a substance is a controlled drug analogue is one for the jury.[2016] NZCA 48 CA 287/2015 CA 161/2015 
Result

A Leave to appeal against conviction is granted to all applicants (JPC v R [2016] NZCA 48) (Ellen France P, Wild and Miller JJ).
B Subject to order C below, the approved question is whether the Court of Appeal should have allowed the applicants’ appeal against conviction.
C In relation to JPC's application for leave to appeal against conviction, the approved question is qualified so as to exclude his contention that the verdicts on one charge on which he was acquitted and another on which he was convicted were inconsistent.
D JPC’s application for leave to appeal against sentence is dismissed.

14 July 2016

____________________

Judgment released                                                                                              

Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final dispositon of related trials of Appellants C (SC 23/2016) and L (SC 24/2016). Publication in Law Report or Law Digest permitted.

19 June 2017                       
Leave judgment

not publicly available
Judgment appealed from

[2016] NZCA 48 CA 287/2015 CA 161/2015 not available
Case name
SL v The Queen
Case number
SC 25/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the offence for controlled drug analogues is sufficiently certain to found a safe prosecution – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the Trial Judge’s directions were correct – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in regard to the mens rea requirements for the offence – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in relation to the defences available to the applicants – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding that the question whether a substance is a controlled drug analogue is one for the jury  [2016] NZCA 48  CA 162/2015
Result

A Leave to appeal against conviction is granted to all applicants (JPC v R [2016] NZCA 48) (Ellen France P, Wild and Miller JJ).
B Subject to order C below, the approved question is whether the Court of Appeal should have allowed the applicants’ appeal against conviction.
C In relation to JPC's application for leave to appeal against conviction, the approved question is qualified so as to exclude his contention that the verdicts on one charge on which he was acquitted and another on which he was convicted were inconsistent.
D JPC’s application for leave to appeal against sentence is dismissed.

14 July 2016

__________________________

A notice of abandonment having been lodged, the appeal is deemed dismissed.
31 March 2017
Hearing

21 and 22 November 2016

William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold, O'Regan and McGrath JJ
Judgment appealed from

[2016] NZCA 48 CA 287/2015 CA 161/2015 not available
Case name
KSC  v The Queen
Case number
SC 26/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the offence for controlled drug analogues is sufficiently certain to found a safe prosecution – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the Trial Judge’s directions were correct – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in regard to the mens rea requirements for the offence – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in relation to the defences available to the applicants – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding that the question whether a substance is a controlled drug analogue is one for the jury. [2016] NZCA 48  CA 356/2015
Result

Notice of abandonment being lodged, the application for leave to appeal is deemed to be dismissed.

15 April 2016
Judgment appealed from

[2016] NZCA 48  CA 356/2015 not available
Case name
JBG  v The Queen
Case number
SC 27/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the offence for controlled drug analogues is sufficiently certain to found a safe prosecution – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the Trial Judge’s directions were correct – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in regard to the mens rea requirements for the offence – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in relation to the defences available to the applicants – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding that the question whether a substance is a controlled drug analogue is one for the jury. [2016] NZCA 48  CA 160/2015
Result

A Leave to appeal against conviction is granted to all applicants (JPC v R [2016] NZCA 48) (Ellen France P, Wild and Miller JJ).
B Subject to order C below, the approved question is whether the Court of Appeal should have allowed the applicants’ appeal against conviction.
C In relation to JPC's application for leave to appeal against conviction, the approved question is qualified so as to exclude his contention that the verdicts on one charge on which he was acquitted and another on which he was convicted were inconsistent.
D JPC’s application for leave to appeal against sentence is dismissed.

14 July 2016

____________________

Judgment released                                                                                              

Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final dispositon of related trials of Appellants C (SC 23/2016) and L (SC 24/2016). Publication in Law Report or Law Digest permitted.                                                                                                                     

19 June 2017                            
Leave judgment

 not publicly available
Judgment appealed from

 [2016] NZCA 48  CA 160/2015 not available
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