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
Henry John Esdaile Nation v Nicola Mary Nation
Case number
SC CIV 26/2004
Summary
Relationship property - whether the determination of the date for assessment of the effect of disposition under s44C Property (Relationships) Act 1976 should be the date of the hearing - whether certain livestock is relationship property - whether a 'put to use' arrangement in respect of livestock can have the status of a property right for the purpose of s10(2) CA 190/03 26 November 2004
Result
21 April 2005

Leave to appeal granted.

8 April 2005

__________________

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

Transcript

Hearing date 5 April 2005

Hearing date : 22 July 2005

Case name
Leonard Murray Rohrlach
Case number
SC CRI 4/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction - Whether trial counsel error amounted to a miscarriage of justice - Whether s344A application should have been opposed by defence counsel - Whether complainant should have been cross-examined in relation to medical and ESR evidence - Whether detective should have been cross-examined in relation to record of appellant's statements - Whether appellant able to make informed decision about giving evidence at trial. CA272/03 28 April 2004
Result
30 June 2004 - No jurisdiction to entertain appeal as no consent from respondent pursuant to Section 51 (2) (d).
Judgment appealed from
not publicly available
Case name
Kevin Moana Jarden
Case number
SC CRI 10/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction for sexual offending - whether there was a risk that the jury did not receive a balanced selection of material in its deliberations - whether transcripts of the video interviews of the complainants should have been left with the jury without transcripts of their cross-examination as well. CA114/04 29 July 2004
Result
Leave to appeal refused 20 October 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Jesse Michael Guild
Case number
SC CRI 17/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction - whether the Court of Appeal erred in its approach to the use of similar fact evidence - whether a substantial miscarriage of justice has occurred. CA84/04 7 April 2004CA210/04 11 October 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 2 February 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed