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.

20 March 2026

Case information summary 2025 (as at 20 March 2026) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 88 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 20 March 2026)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 123 KB) 

All years

Case name
H v The Queen
Case number
SC 49/2016
Summary
Criminal appeal – Whether the trial Judge erred in his directions to the jury with respect to reliability, the standard of proof, representative counts and depictions of victims of sexual violence. [2015] NZCA 124   CA533/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                        15 August 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
H (SC 49/2016) v R [2016] NZSC 103     15 August 2016 (PDF, 132 KB)
Judgment appealed from

H (CA533/2014) v R [2015] NZCA 124 (Stevens, Asher and Williams JJ) not electronically available __
Case name
Malcolm Raymond Clarke v The Queen
Case number
SC 50/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction – Whether the trial Judge ought to have directed the jury that the applicant did not have the burden of proving that the complainant had a motive to lie.                                                [2016] NZCA 91 CA586/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
4 July 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MALCOLM RAYMOND CLARKE v R [2016] NZSC 79  4 July 2016 (PDF, 73 KB)
Judgment appealed from

CLARKE v R [2016] NZCA 91   5 April 2016

Case name
Hilary Jane Calvert & HGW Trustees Ltd (as trustees of the Frongopoulos Trust & Anor) & Chris James v Grant Bruce REYNOLDS as liquidator of James Developments Ltd (in liquidation)
Case number
SC 51/2016
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of s 28 of the Limitation Act 1950 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of the breadth of the discretion under s 301 of the Companies Act 1993 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in following Mana Property Trustee Ltd v James Development Ltd [2010] NZSC 90. [2016] NZCA 151   CA173/2015
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicants (jointly and severally) must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent.
9 August 2016
High Court decision
REYNOLDS v CALVERT [2015] NZHC 400    9 March 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
HILARY JANE CALVERT AND ORS v GRANT BRUCE REYNOLDS [2016] NZSC 100  9 August 2016 (PDF, 83 KB)
Judgment appealed from

CALVERT v REYNOLDS [2016] NZCA 151   22 April 2016
Case name
T v The Queen
Case number
SC 52/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 30 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its conclusion that exclusion of improperly obtained evidence would be disproportionate to the impropriety. [2016] NZCA 148   CA438/2015
Result
The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.                  21 June 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
T (SC 52/2016) v R [2016] NZSC 76    21 June 2016 (PDF, 71 KB)
Judgment appealed from

[2016] NZCA 148   CA438/2015 not available
Case name
N v The Queen
Case number
SC 53/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 30 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its conclusion that exclusion of improperly obtained evidence would be disproportionate to the impropriety. [2016] NZCA 148   CA440/2015
Result
The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed. 21 June 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
T (SC 52/2016) v R [2016] NZSC 76    21 June 2016 (PDF, 71 KB)
Judgment appealed from

[2016] NZCA 148   CA440/2015 not available
Case name
Whetu Sonny James Waiwai v The Queen
Case number
SC 54/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its finding that the jury’s verdict was not unreasonable – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that evidence from a hostile Crown witness was admissible. [2016] NZCA 167   CA603/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                       
13 July 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
WHETU SONNY JAMES WAIWAI v R [2016] NZSC 85   13 July 2016 (PDF, 84 KB)
Judgment appealed from

WAIWAI v R [2016] NZCA 167    4 May 2016
Case name
John Alfred Robinson v The Queen
Case number
SC 55/2016
Summary
Criminal appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 43(3)(e) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of the “collusion or suggestibility” criterion in assessing admissibility of propensity evidence under s 43.  [2016] NZCA 188   CA375/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
13 July 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JOHN ALFRED ROBINSON v R [2016] NZSC 86 [13 July 2016] (PDF, 75 KB)
Judgment appealed from

[2016] NZCA 188   CA375/2015 not available    _
Case name
AN v Counties Manukau District Health Board
Case number
SC 56/2016
Summary
Civil Appeal – Habeas Corpus Act 2001 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in not granting habeas corpus – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by making a costs award against the applicant – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by suppressing the applicant’s name.[2016] NZCA 226   CA133/2016
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order for costs. 20 June 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
AN(SC 56/2016) v COUNTIES MANUKAU DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD [2016] NZSC 74   20 June 2016 (PDF, 82 KB)
Recall judgment
AN (SC 56/2016) v COUNTIES MANUKAU DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD [2016] NZSC 78  1 July 2016 (PDF, 76 KB)
High Court decision
Judicial Decisions Online
Judgment appealed from

AN v COUNTIES MANUKAU DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD [2016] NZCA 226  25 May 2016
Case name
Morris Burton Suckling v The Queen
Case number
SC 58/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of s 109 of the Tax Administration Act 1994 – Whether the District Court erred in failing to consider objections to the admissibility of propensity evidence. [2016] NZCA 187   CA468/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
4 July 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MORRIS BURTON SUCKLING v R [2016] NZSC 80    4 July 2016 (PDF, 78 KB)
Judgment appealed from

SUCKLING v R [2016] NZCA 187    10 May 2016
Case name
Wayne Anthony Jonathon Houpapa v The Queen
Case number
SC 59/2016
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against sentence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in not giving the defendant a discount for his guilty plea.         [2016] NZCA 206   CA525/2015
Result
A notice of abandonment having been lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
24 February 2017
Judgment appealed from

HOUPAPA v R [2016] NZCA 206    16 May 2016
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