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
Ross Easton Barber v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 61/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal Is dismissed.
15 October 2020
15 October 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Robert Frank Terry v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 65/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Tiare Waaka Timoti v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 70/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 October 2020
1 October 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Robert Frank Terry v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 87/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
18 December 2020
18 December 2020
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Leticia Margaret Drake and Gavin John Steward v Commissioner of New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 97/2020
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 March 2021
1 March 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Michael Main v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 2/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against the decision of the Deputy Registrar to refuse the application for leave to appeal.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 18 February 2019
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
D v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 31/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal
Result
The judgment of this Court of 21 June 2019 ([2019] NZSC 58) is
recalled and reissued with the applicant’s name anonymised.
9 February 2021
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A The application for leave to appeal against an order that the applicant be placed on the Child Sex Offender Register is granted ([2019] NZCA 30).
B The approved question is whether and, if so, how the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 has to be taken into account in decisions under s 9 of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016.
21 June 2019
Reissued 9 February 2021
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A The application to adduce further evidence is granted.
B The appeal is allowed.
C The registration order made by the District Court under s 9(1) of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016 is quashed.
9 February 2021
recalled and reissued with the applicant’s name anonymised.
9 February 2021
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A The application for leave to appeal against an order that the applicant be placed on the Child Sex Offender Register is granted ([2019] NZCA 30).
B The approved question is whether and, if so, how the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 has to be taken into account in decisions under s 9 of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016.
21 June 2019
Reissued 9 February 2021
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A The application to adduce further evidence is granted.
B The appeal is allowed.
C The registration order made by the District Court under s 9(1) of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016 is quashed.
9 February 2021
Transcripts
- Hearing date 30 October 2019 (PDF, 416 KB)
Media Releases
- MR 2021 NZSC 2 (PDF, 197 KB)
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Substantive judgment
Additional document
Additional document
Case name
Lance Phillip Newing v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 51/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Driving with excess blood alcohol – Whether the District Court erred in refusing to discharge the applicant without conviction.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 22 August 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Marko Otis v The Queen
Case number
SC 60/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether there are exceptional circumstances justifying a direct appeal from the High Court – Whether the High Court erred in upholding the District Court’s refusal to grant a discharge without conviction.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
11 October 2019
11 October 2019
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Melanie Wichart v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 61/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining leave to bring a second appeal (in relation to admissible evidence for proving a charge of driving with excess blood alcohol and in relation to the onus of proof in relation to the expiry date of a specimen kit).
Result
A The application for an extension of time is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
27 September 2019
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
27 September 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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