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
Warren Charles Te Hei v The Queen
Case number
SC 87/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction – Whether Court of Appeal erred in holding that the trial Judge’s directions about identification evidence were adequate.
High Court decision
R v WARREN CHARLES RE HEI [2016] NZHC 1538 [7 July 2016]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
WARREN CHARLES TE HEI v R [2017] NZSC 159 [13 October 2017] (PDF, 66 KB)
Judgment appealed from
TE HEI v R [2017] NZCA 299 [13 July 2017]
Case name
Sione (John) Uaine Moala v The Queen
Case number
SC 89/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the claimed failure of trial counsel and counsel in the Court of Appeal to pursue certain arguments amounts to a miscarriage of justice.
Result
Leave is granted for application for leave to appeal to be withdrawn without prejudice to the applicants entitlement to re-apply later.                                        5 February 2018
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Judgment appealed from

MOALA V R [2017] NZCA 212 [25 May 2017]
Case name
Pravin Kumar v The Queen
Case number
SC 96/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against sentence.
Result
A Notice of Abondonment having been lodged, the appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
23 March 2018
High Court decision
 R V KUMAR HC AK CRI-2011-092-011460   6 September 2012
High Court decision
Judgment appealed from

KUMAR v R [2015] NZCA 460 [25 September 2015]
Case name
Tyson-Tainui Rukuwai Te Tomo v The Queen
Case number
SC 97/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961, s 48 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the High Court Judge at trial was correct not to direct the jury on self-defence.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
28 November 2017
High Court decision
R v  Te Tomo [2015] NZHC 2671 (30 October 2015)
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TYSON-TAINUI RUKUWAI TE TOMO v R [2017] NZSC 180  28 November 2017 (PDF, 187 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Te Tomo v R [2017] NZCA 338 (8 August 2017)
Case name
C v The Queen
Case number
SC 101/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the adequacy of the trial Judge’s summing-up – Whether the quashing of certain convictions by the Court of Appeal suggests other miscarriages of justice leading to the surviving convictions –Whether the sentence substituted by the Court of Appeal was manifestly excessive in the circumstances
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.  27 November 2017
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
C (SC 101/2017) v R [2017] NZSC 179 [27 November 2017] (PDF, 189 KB)
Judgment appealed from

C (CA100/2016) v R [2017] NZCA 58 [15 March 2017]
Case name
B v The Queen
Case number
SC 106/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction.  
Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed       

1 December 2017 
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Judgment appealed from
Not publicly available
Case name
Da (David) Jiang Fan v The Queen
Case number
SC 107/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation and application of the City of Auckland Operative District Plan 1999 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against sentence.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                                 6 December 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DA JIANG FAN v R [2017] NZSC 184 [6 December 2017] (PDF, 86 KB)
Judgment appealed from

FAN v R [2017] NZCA 41 [3 March 2017]
Case name
George Charlie Baker v The Queen
Case number
SC 109/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Sentence Appeal – Whether the High Court erred in imposing a minimum term of preventive detention longer than the maximum period of imprisonment for the offending.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 December 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
GEORGE CHARLIE BAKER v R [2017] NZSC 194 [19 December 2017] (PDF, 185 KB)
High Court decision
R v Baker HC Auckland CRI 2008-044-9492 [2010] NZHC 2128 (5 November 2010) 
Judgment appealed from

BAKER v R [2017] NZCA 404 [15 September 2017]
Case name
Graeme Andrew Joblin v The Queen
Case number
SC 110/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against conviction – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding there was no miscarriage of justice at trial.
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 December 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
GRAEME ANDREW JOBLIN v R [2017] NZSC 192 [19 December 2017] (PDF, 221 KB)
Judgment appealed from

JOBLIN V R [2016] NZCA 287 [27 June 2016]
Case name
M v The Queen
Case number
SC 115/2017
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding there was no miscarriage of justice despite the cumulative effect of multiple alleged trial deficiencies.
Result
A An extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted. B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                      22 March 2018
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
M (SC 115/2017) v R [2018] NZSC 21 [22 March 2018] (PDF, 192 KB)
Judgment appealed from
not publicly available
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