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.
4 September 2026
Case information summary (as at 4 September 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 116 KB)
Case information summary (as at 4 September 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 132 KB)
All years
Criminal Appeal
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is granted (Cook v R [2023] NZCA 342).
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to treat Mr Cook’s defence as insane automatism.
19 February 2024
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The appeal is dismissed.
28 April 2025
- Hearing 23 and 24 July 2024 Appellant submissions (PDF, 359 KB)
- Hearing 23 and 24 July 2024 Respondent submissions (PDF, 1015 KB)
- Hearing date 23 July 2024 Transcript (PDF, 560 KB)
- Hearing date 23 and 24 July 2024 Case Synopsis (PDF, 470 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 44 (PDF, 285 KB)
- SC 120/2023 Damin Peter Cook v The King (Recorded, 23 July 2024)
10 April 2024
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
10 April 2024
9 April 2024
27 June 2024
25 March 2024
B The standard conditions under s 14(1) of the Parole Act 2002 apply but expire on the sentence expiry date.
16 December 2022
- Hearing date 8 September 2022 Appellant submissions (PDF, 2.4 MB)
- Hearing date 8 September 2022 Respondent submissions (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Hearing date 8 September 2022 PHILIP Jason Brendon v R (PDF, 432 KB)
- MR [2022] NZSC 149 (PDF, 264 KB)
B Leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgment and the resentencing judgment is granted.
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to conclude that the presumption in favour of life imprisonment in s 102 of the Sentencing Act 2002 was not displaced given the circumstances of the offence and of the applicant.
3 August 2022
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A The appeal against sentence is allowed.
B The minimum period of imprisonment of 11 years and six months is quashed and a minimum period of imprisonment of 10 years is substituted.
31 August 2023
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Appellants submissions (PDF, 478 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Respondents submissions (PDF, 501 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Intervener Criminal Bar Association submissions (PDF, 445 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Intervener Defence Lawyers Association submissions (PDF, 208 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November 2022 Transcript (PDF, 586 KB)
- Hearing date 18 November Van Hemert v The King (PDF, 472 KB)
- MR [2023] NZSC 116 (PDF, 307 KB)