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
Scott Watson v The King
Case number
SC 109/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal 

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted in part (Watson v R [2025] NZCA 455). The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to conclude no miscarriage of justice arose from the decision of the trial Judge to admit the visual identification evidence of Guy Wallace.
B The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.
10 March 2026

Date of hearing
20 October 2026 - 21 October 2026
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams, Kós and Cooke JJ
Leave judgment - leave granted
Case name
Jessica Mulford v The King
Case number
SC 110/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal 

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (Mulford v R [2025] NZCA 444).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
18 December 2025

Date of hearing
31 March 2026
Judges
Ellen France, Williams, Kós, Miller and Cooke JJ
Case name
Leslie Raymond Parr v The King
Case number
SC 153/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Miles John McKelvy v United States of America
Case number
SC 154/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
5 May 2026

Leave judgment - leave dismissed
District Court decision
Case name
Lori-Lea Wairoa Wade Te Wini v The King
Case number
SC 157/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Date of hearing
03 August 2026 - 04 August 2026
Judges
TBC
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Case name
Courtney Pauline Churchward v The King
Case number
SC 158/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Date of hearing
03 August 2026 - 04 August 2026
Judges
TBC
Court of Appeal decision
Case name
Zane Edward Frankhouser v The King
Case number
SC 159/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
4 May 2026

District Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Rereamanu Ronaki-Wihapi v The King
Case number
SC 161/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 April 2026 

High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Mohi Francis Mateparae v The King
Case number
SC 163/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
20 February 2026

District Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Peter Wiari v The King
Case number
SC 165/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

District Court decision
Court of Appeal decision