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
Morton v The Queen
Case number
SC 86/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against pre-trial ruling – Evidence Act 2006, s 49 – Appellant charged as party to offending when principals convicted in previous trial – Whether exceptional circumstances exist to direct that convictions are not conclusive evidence of principal offending.[2015] NZCA 322 CA 266/2015
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted (M v R [2015] NZCA 322).B The approved question is:“Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation and application of ss 44 and 49 of the Evidence Act 2006”.
27 August 2015
_______________
A The appeal is allowed.
B Permission under s 49(2)(a) of the Evidence Act 2006 is given to the appellant to adduce evidence from himself and the co-defendants in which they may give their accounts of their interactions with the complainant on the night of the offending and as to the prior sexual relationship of one of the co-defendants with the complainant.
C Permission is refused in respect of the recantation and inconsistent conduct evidence and the evidence referred to in [74] (other than that identified in [77]).
D There is no direction under s 49(2)(b).
5 May 2016
27 August 2015
_______________
A The appeal is allowed.
B Permission under s 49(2)(a) of the Evidence Act 2006 is given to the appellant to adduce evidence from himself and the co-defendants in which they may give their accounts of their interactions with the complainant on the night of the offending and as to the prior sexual relationship of one of the co-defendants with the complainant.
C Permission is refused in respect of the recantation and inconsistent conduct evidence and the evidence referred to in [74] (other than that identified in [77]).
D There is no direction under s 49(2)(b).
5 May 2016
Date of hearing
18 November 2015
Judges
Elias CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold, O’Regan JJ.
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Substantive judgment
Case name
JWB v The Queen
Case number
SC 88/2015
Summary
Criminal appeal – Whether the trial Judge’s directions in relation to s 168 of the Crimes Act 1961 risked miscarriage of justice – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of s 104 of the Sentencing Act 2002. [2015] NZCA 306 CA 687/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
16 March 2016
Case name
Toni Maree Miller v The Queen
Case number
SC 91/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the allegation of conspiracy made by counsel for a co-accused resulted in a miscarriage of justice.[2015] NZCA 312 CA 364/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
4 November 2015
4 November 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Tariana Hineteangaurangi Jones v The Queen
Case number
SC 92/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal failed to address the ground of appeal that the jury should have been directed on an alternative explanation of the facts – Whether the allegation of conspiracy made by counsel for a co-accused resulted in a miscarriage of justice.[2015] NZCA 312 CA 369/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 4 November 2015.
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Brown v The Queen
Case number
SC 94/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Refusal of pre-trial application to dismiss charges based on delay – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation and application of s 322 of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989. [2015] NZCA 3215 CA 320/2015
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
20 October 2015
20 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Brown v R [2015] NZCA 325 (Wild, Keane and Kó s JJ) not available
Case name
Dion Edward Gurran v The Queen
Case number
SC 96/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in stating that the trial Judge’s reliability warning was sufficient for the purposes of s 122 of the Evidence Act 2006 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in not granting leave to adduce fresh evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the trial Judge adequately summarised the defence case to the jury. [2015] NZCA 347 CA 412/2013
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 February 2016
1 February 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Jeremy George Edward McLaughlin v The Queen
Case number
SC 97/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether DNA evidence was misused at trial – Whether the trial judge’s direction as to lies was inadequate – Whether a direction under s 32 Evidence Act 2006 was required – Whether the summing up was unfair. [2015] NZCA 339 CA 752/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
3 November 2015
3 November 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Antony Fredrick Gray v The Queen
Case number
SC 98/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against sentence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in refusing to grant a sentence reduction for injuries suffered while in prison on remand.[2015] NZCA 297 CA 67/2015
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
28 October 2015
28 October 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
John Grant Cuthers v The Queen
Case number
SC 99/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961, ss 167(b) and 168(1)(a) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the High Court Judge was correct not to direct that jury that they had to be unanimous as to the applicant’ s knowledge.[2015] NZCA 366 CA 186/014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
22 August 2016
22 August 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Dean Michael Vincent v The Queen
Case number
SC 101/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal –– Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction.[2015] NZCA 201 CA 870/2013
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
23 February 2016
23 February 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DEAN MICHAEL VINCENT v R [2016] NZSC 15 23 February 2016 (PDF, 138 KB)
Judgment appealed from
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