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
Brandon James Roche v The Queen
Case number
SC 18/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether a member of the jury appeared biased – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against conviction.
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted to the applicants (Rolleston v R [2018] NZCA 611).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the conviction appeals.
21 March 2019
____________________
A The application to cross-examine the foreperson is dismissed.
B The appeals are dismissed.
C Existing suppression orders in respect of the minutes issued in relation to this matter remain in place but are varied to continue until further order of this Court.
19 November 2019
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the conviction appeals.
21 March 2019
____________________
A The application to cross-examine the foreperson is dismissed.
B The appeals are dismissed.
C Existing suppression orders in respect of the minutes issued in relation to this matter remain in place but are varied to continue until further order of this Court.
19 November 2019
Date of hearing
13 November 2019
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 20 June 2019 SC 17/SC 18 (PDF, 197 KB)
- Hearing date 13 November 2019 (PDF, 126 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2019] NZSC 129 (PDF, 65 KB)
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Supreme Court - order made
Substantive judgment
Additional document
Additional document
Additional document
Case name
Carl David George Butcher v The Queen
Case number
SC 35/2019
Summary
Not publicly available
Result
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
High/District Court judgment
Not publicly available
Case name
William George Graham Cameron Cleary v Ewart & Ewart
Case number
SC 9/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether Court of Appeal erred in upholding the High Court’s dismissal of the applicant’s claim against his lawyer for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent.
12 April 2018
B The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent.
12 April 2018
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CLEARY v EWART & EWART [2018] NZSC 28 [12 April 2018] (PDF, 206 KB)
Case name
George WHICHMAN v The Queen
Case number
SC 42/2018
Summary
Not publicly available
Result
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
George Whichman v The Queen
Case number
SC 69/2018
Summary
Not publicly available
Result
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Christian John Gillibrand and Mary Caecilia Gillibrand (as trustees of The Chris and Mary Gillibrand family trust) v George Peter Swanepoel
Case number
SC 106/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against the admissibility of evidence under s 25 of the Evidence Act 2006.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent.
21 February 2019
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent.
21 February 2019
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
George Robert Jolley v The King
Case number
SC 109/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the jury vetting process and other irregularities in the trial resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 April 2019
_________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 1 April 2019 (Jolley v R [2019] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
19 December 2022
1 April 2019
_________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 1 April 2019 (Jolley v R [2019] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
19 December 2022
Date of hearing
01 November 2022
Judges
Winkelman CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Kós JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 1 November 2022 Transcript (PDF, 303 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
George Charlie Baker v The Queen
Case number
SC 109/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Sentence Appeal – Whether the High Court erred in imposing a minimum term of preventive detention longer than the maximum period of imprisonment for the offending.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 December 2017
19 December 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
High Court decision
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Rapata Leef and others as the mandated representatives of the Hapū of Ngāti Taka v Colin Bidois and others as the mandated representatives of the Hapū of Pirirakau
Case number
SC 62/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Arbitration Act 1996 – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding waiver of conflict – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding there was no process breach by the Arbitration Panel. [2015] NZCA 176 CA 441/2013
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicants must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondents.
24 August 2015
B The applicants must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondents.
24 August 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Robert George Keen v The Queen
Case number
SC 65/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing Mr Keen’s appeal against an order for forfeiture made by the District Court under s 32(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.[2015] NZCA 221
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
13 October 2015
13 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
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