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.
28 November 2025
Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 120 KB)
All years
Case name
Robert George Keen v The Queen
Case number
SC 65/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing Mr Keen’s appeal against an order for forfeiture made by the District Court under s 32(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.[2015] NZCA 221
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
13 October 2015
13 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
The Queen v SSC
Case number
SC 67/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 30 – Admissions in response to police questioning – Whether exclusion of evidence is proportionate to the police impropriety. [2015] NZCA 241
Result
The application for leave to appeal is granted (C v R [2015] NZCA 241).The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was right to quash the High Court’s order that the latter part (commencing at 2.14 pm) of the interview between Mr C and the police on 28 March 2014 is admissible at his trial.
31 July 2015
__________________
Judgment released. Details, including result, are suppressed until final disposition of trial.
17 June 2016
31 July 2015
__________________
Judgment released. Details, including result, are suppressed until final disposition of trial.
17 June 2016
Date of hearing
10 December 2015
Judges
Elias CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold, O’Regan JJ.
Case name
Michael Shane Henry Lihou v The Queen
Case number
SC 68/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against conviction – Appeal against sentence – Application to present new evidence – Whether counsel presented proper defence at trial. [2015] NZCA 227 CA 646/2013
Result
A The application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal pre-trial decision ([2013] NZCA 195) is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal conviction decision ([2015] NZCA 227) is also dismissed.
30 October 2015
B The application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal conviction decision ([2015] NZCA 227) is also dismissed.
30 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Rawiri David Lawson v The Queen
Case number
SC 69/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the applicant was unable to instruct counsel or present a defence – Whether the Crown’s presentation of evidence differed from the Crown’s closing – Whether propensity evidence was wrongfully admitted – Whether a charge was withdrawn too late to avoid unfair trial – Whether jury directed to speculate over matters of which there was no evidence of – Whether the evidence was insufficient to convict.[2014] NZCA 463 CA 397/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 6 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
F v The Queen
Case number
SC 70/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the complainant’s evidential video interview should have been replayed in full during jury deliberations – Whether a demeanour direction needed to be given close in time to the video’ s replaying. [2014] NZCA 229 CA 411/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
1 September 2015
1 September 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
F (SC 70/2015) v R [2015] NZSC 131 1 September 2015 (PDF, 82 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Dinesh Kumar Manoharan v The Queen
Case number
SC 71/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – whether the Court of Appeal erred in concluding that the trial Judge had not erred in allowing certain evidence to be admitted, in particular low copy number DNA evidence – whether the Court of Appeal erred in concluding that the verdict was not unreasonable.[2015] NZCA 237 CA5/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
28 October 2015
28 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Tony Douglas Robertson v The Queen
Case number
SC 72/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that publication of the name and other suppressed information about the applicant would not be likely to create a real risk of prejudice to a fair trial if the appellant appeals successfully to the Court of Appeal against conviction and a new trial is ordered.[2015] NZCA 287 CA340/2015
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
28 July 2015
28 July 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
not available online
Case name
Tatyana Kondratyeva v The Queen
Case number
SC 75/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to decline the application to adduce further evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal against conviction.[2015] NZCA 266 CA6/2015
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
4 December 2015
4 December 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Barrie James Skinner v The Queen
Case number
SC 79/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to decline the application to adduce further evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal against conviction.[2015] NZCA 233 CA 573/2012
Result
Leave to appeal is granted on the question whether s 109 of the Tax Administration Act 1994 precluded conviction on counts 101–110 (Rowley v R [2015] NZCA 233, (2015) 27 NZTC. In all other respects the applications for leave to appeal are dismissed save that, in the case of Mr Rowley’s challenge to his sentence, this is with the reservation identified in [23].
15 February 2016
______________
The appeals are dismissed.
10 August 2016
15 February 2016
______________
The appeals are dismissed.
10 August 2016
Transcripts
- Hearing date 9 June 2016 (PDF, 456 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2016] NZSC 101 (PDF, 239 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
SKINNER and ROWLEY v R [2016] NZSC 7 [15 February 2016] (PDF, 155 KB)
Substantive judgment
Case name
Shane James Old v The Queen
Case number
SC 83/2015
Summary
Criminal appeal – whether the Court of Appeal erred in its approach to evidential issues.[2015] NZCA 252 CA 739/2014
Result
The application for an extension of time within which to apply for leave to appeal is granted. The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 18 November 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHANE JAMES OLD v R [2015] NZSC 175 18 November 2015 (PDF, 75 KB)
Judgment appealed from
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