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)
2024
B We make an order prohibiting publication of this judgment or any part of the proceedings to date (including the results) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of the retrial ordered in [2024] NZCA 97. Publication in a law report or law digest is permitted.
26 July 2024
Criminal Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Tamati v R [2024] NZCA 113).
B The approved questions are as follows:
(a) whether errors by trial counsel may have occasioned a miscarriage of justice; and
(b) whether in the circumstances a reliability warning was required.
2 August 2024
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The appeal is dismissed.
03 July 2025
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Appellant submissions (PDF, 2.6 MB)
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Respondent submissions (PDF, 571 KB)
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Transcript (PDF, 402 KB)
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Case Synopsis (PDF, 474 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 70 (PDF, 286 KB)
- SC 48/2024 Tristan Lee Tamati v The King (Recorded, 25 February 2025)
B The applicants must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
5 August 2024
B There is no order as to costs.
8 July 2024
Criminal Appeal
A The application for leave to appeal is granted.
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
5 March 2026
- Hearing date 7 July 2026 Appellant's submissions (PDF, 495 KB)
- Hearing date 7 July 2026 Respondent submissions (PDF, 791 KB)
- Hearing date 7 July 2026 Case Synopsis (PDF, 443 KB)
- SC 76/2024 Southern Cheyenne Thompson v The King (Recorded, 7 July 2026)
Criminal Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Tamihere v R [2024] NZCA 300).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct not to exercise its jurisdiction under s 406(1)(a) of the Crimes Act 1961 to quash Mr Tamihere’s convictions.
20 December 2024
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A The application to adduce further evidence is dismissed.
B The appeal is allowed.
C We exercise the Court’s jurisdiction under s 406(1)(a) of the Crimes Act 1961 to quash Mr Tamihere’s convictions. We make an order directing a retrial.
D Order redacting paragraphs [49]–[61], [79]–[120], [147]– [161], [163]–[164] and [167]–[170] from the judgment delivered on 31 March 2026.
E Order prohibiting publication of the unredacted version of the judgment pending final disposition of retrial.
31 March 2026
- Hearing date 18 - 20 August 2025 Case Synopsis (PDF, 471 KB)
- MR [2026] NZSC 22 (PDF, 285 KB)
B The applicant must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
20 December 2024
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
1 November 2024
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The application for review of the decision of the Registrar declining to waive the filing fee is dismissed.
15 November 2024
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
6 November 2024
B The applicants must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
20 December 2024