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
Shane Keith Bullock v The King
Case number
SC 14/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
7 August 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
[2024] NZCA 3
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHANE KEITH BULLOCK v R [2024] NZSC 96 [7 August 2024 (PDF, 204 KB)
Case name
M (SC 18/2024) v Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 18/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A notice of abandonment having been filed, the application for leave to appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
21 March 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Rex Malcolm Poole v The King
Case number
SC 21/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A An extension of time to make the application for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
18 June 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
POOLE v R [2023] NZCA 643 [14 December 2023]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
REX MALCOLM POOLE v R [2024] NZSC 67 [18 June 2024] (PDF, 183 KB)
Case name
Daniel Coe v The King
Case number
SC 24/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A notice of abandonment having been filed, the application for leave to appeal is abandoned.
13 January 2025
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
COE v R [2022] NZCA 631 [16 December 2022]
Case name
Sainey Marong v The King
Case number
SC 25/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application to set aside the earlier abandonment of the appeal against conviction is declined.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
13 September 2024
High Court decision
R v MARONG [2018] NZHC 748 [20 April 2018]
Court of Appeal decision
[2018] NZCA 531
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SAINEY MARONG v R [2024] NZSC 115 [13 September 2024] (PDF, 186 KB)
Case name
Benjamin Nilesh Goundar v The King
Case number
SC 32/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
20 June 2024
High Court decision
R v GOUNDAR [2023] NZHC 923 [24 April 2023]
Court of Appeal decision
GOUNDAR v R [2024] NZCA 54 [12 March 2024]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BENJAMIN NILESH GOUNDAR v R [2024] NZSC 70 [20 June 2024] (PDF, 170 KB)
Case name
Tyson Shane Brown v The King
Case number
SC 37/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 August 2024
High Court decision
R v TYSON BROWN [2023] NZHC 1267 [26 May 2023]
Court of Appeal decision
BROWN v R [2024] NZCA 95 [4 April 2024]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TYSON SHANE BROWN v R [2024] NZSC 101 [19 August 2024] (PDF, 174 KB)
Case name
Cuong Van Do v The King
Case number
SC 43/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B We make an order prohibiting publication of this judgment or any part of the proceedings to date (including the results) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of the retrial ordered in [2024] NZCA 97. Publication in a law report or law digest is permitted.
26 July 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CUONG VAN DO v R [2024] NZSC 80 [26 July 2024] (PDF, 223 KB)
Case name
Tristan Lee Tamati v The King
Case number
SC 48/2024
Summary

Criminal Appeal
Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (Tamati v R [2024] NZCA 113).
B The approved questions are as follows:
(a) whether errors by trial counsel may have occasioned a miscarriage of justice; and
(b) whether in the circumstances a reliability warning was required.
2 August 2024
________________________________________________
The appeal is dismissed.                                                                                                                                          
03 July 2025
Date of hearing
25 February 2025
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, Williams, Kós and Miller JJ
Submissions from counsel
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Media Releases
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
[2024] NZCA 113
Leave judgment - leave granted
TAMATI v R [2024] NZSC 91 [2 August 2024] (PDF, 135 KB)
Substantive judgment
TAMATI v R [2025] NZSC 70 [3 July 2025] (PDF, 287 KB)
Videos
Case name
J (SC 64/2024) v The King
Case number
SC 64/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
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.
21 May 2025
High Court decision
R v L [2022] NZHC 2364 [15 September 2022]
Court of Appeal decision
J (CA519/2022) v R [2024] NZCA 21 [19 February 2024]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
J (SC 64/2024) v R [2025] NZSC 56 [21 May 2025] (PDF, 155 KB)
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