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
Barry John Bailey v The King
Case number
SC 120/2024
Summary

Criminal Appeal

Result

A  Leave to appeal is granted (R v Bailey [2024] NZCA 552).
B  The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
5 March 2025 
__________________________________________________________

A The appeal is allowed.

B The application under s 147 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 is remitted to the District Court for rehearing.   
30 March 2026

Date of hearing
16 July 2025
Judges
Glazebrook, Ellen France, Williams, Kós and Miller JJ
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Media Releases
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
R (SC 121/2024) v The King
Case number
SC 121/2024
Summary
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 DISPOSITION OF TRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED
Result
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 DISPOSITION OF TRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED
23 December 2024
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Christopher Oliver Brice v The King
Case number
SC 122/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
11 April 2025
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
David Grant Sinclair v The King
Case number
SC 124/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
8 April 2025
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Mathew Raymond Charles Watson v The King
Case number
SC 125/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                                          
28 March 2025
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Jianzhong Cheng v The King
Case number
SC 126/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
03 April 2025
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
NZME Publishing Limited v Brenton Harrison Tarrant, The King and Lawyers A and B
Case number
SC 128/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B Order prohibiting search of the files for this application without leave of a Judge of this Court.
11 April 2025
Case name
G (SC 130/2024) v The King
Case number
SC 130/2024
Summary

Criminal Appeal

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted ([2024] NZCA 626).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal against sentence.
04 April 2025
________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The proceeding is remitted to the District Court for resentencing.
C The applications to adduce further evidence and for name suppression are dismissed.
D Bail is granted on the terms currently applicable, as amended by this Court’s minute of 10 March 2026. Any application for variation to bail shall be addressed by the District Court.

Date of hearing
22 July 2025
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, Williams, Kós and Miller JJ
Case Synopses
Media Releases
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Substantive judgment
Case name
J (SC 135/2024) v The King
Case number
SC 135/2024
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal

Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                                            
20 May 2025

High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Matthew Nigel John Wilcox v The King
Case number
SC 138/2024
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A notice of abandonment having been filed, the application for leave to appeal is abandoned                     
23 June 2025

District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision