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.

8 May 2026

Case information summary (as at 8 May 2026) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 89 KB)
Case information summary (as at 8 May 2026)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 127 KB) 

All years

Case name
Tyson-Tainui Rukuwai Te Tomo v The King
Case number
SC 86/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result

The application leave to appeal is dismissed.
16 October 2025
High Court decision
R v TE TOMO [2015] NZHC 2671 [30 October 2015]
Court of Appeal decision
[2025] NZCA 295
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TE TOMO v R [2025] NZSC 143 [16 October 2025] (PDF, 169 KB)
Case name
Joshua Peter Whitham v The King
Case number
SC 87/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 
11 November 2025
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
WHITHAM v R [2025] NZSC 155 [11 November 2025] (PDF, 171 KB)
Case name
Chin Kok Soon v The King
Case number
SC 89/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal 
Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 
21 November 2025
High Court decision
[2024] NZHC 3393
Court of Appeal decision
[2025] NZCA 350
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CHIN KOK SOON v R [2025] NZSC 174 [21 November 2025] (PDF, 175 KB)
Case name
Michael John Topp v The King
Case number
SC 91/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
17 November 2025
High Court decision
R v TOPP [2024] NZHC 1958 [16 July 2024]
Court of Appeal decision
[2025] NZCA 348
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TOPP v R [2025] NZSC 164 [17 November 2025] (PDF, 218 KB)
Case name
Kukanenthiran Kandaiah v The King
Case number
SC 93/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
25 November 2025
District Court decision
[2024] NZDC 8854
Court of Appeal decision
[2025] NZCA 359
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
KANDAIAH v R [2025] NZSC 166 [25 November 2025] (PDF, 219 KB)
Case name
X (SC 94/2025) v R
Case number
SC 94/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
25 November 2025
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
X (CA738/2024) v R [2025] NZCA 351 [23 July 2025
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
X (SC 94/2025) v R [2025] NZSC 175 [25 November 2025] (PDF, 170 KB)
Case name
F (SC 98/2025) v The King
Case number
SC 98/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal
Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (F (CA126/2025) v R [2025] NZCA 385).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
9 December 2025
Date of hearing
22 April 2026
Judges
Ellen France, Williams, Kós, Miller and Cooke JJ
Case Synopses
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
F (CA126/2025) v R [2025] NZCA 385 [4 August 2025]
Leave judgment - leave granted
F (SC 98/2025) v R [2025] NZSC 190 [9 December 2025] (PDF, 132 KB)
Case name
N v The King
Case number
SC 102/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal 
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Mervyn John Heinemann v The King
Case number
SC 103/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.   
26 May 2026 
District Court decision
[2024] NZDC 30412
Court of Appeal decision
[2025] NZCA 412
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
HEINEMANN v R [2026] NZSC 21 [26 March 2026] (PDF, 166 KB)
Case name
Julius Te Hivaka v The King
Case number
SC 108/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal 
Result

A The application for leave to appeal is granted.
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the applicant’s appeal against conviction. 
5 March 2026
Date of hearing
14 July 2026
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams, Miller and Cooke JJ
High Court decision
R v TE HIVAKA [2024] NZHC 1421 [31 May 2024]
Court of Appeal decision
[2025] NZCA 451
Leave judgment - leave granted
TE HIVAKA v R [2026] NZSC 11 [5 March 2026] (PDF, 102 KB)
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