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.

20 March 2026

Case information summary 2025 (as at 20 March 2026) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 88 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 20 March 2026)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 123 KB) 

All years

Case name
Mark Heteraka v The Queen
Case number
SC 85/2013
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Identification evidence – Evidence Act 2006 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of s 45(2) and (3) of the Evidence Act.[2013] NZHCA 339   CA 592/2012
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MARK HETERAKA v R [2013] NZSC 119 [13 November 2013] (PDF, 45 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
13 November 2013. 
Case name
John Douglas McKenzie v The Queen
Case number
SC 87/2013
Summary
Criminal appeal – Evidence Act ss 8, 12A and 27(1) – whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of “statement” in s 27(1) of the Evidence Act – whether the Court of Appeal was correct to apply the “co-conspirator’s rule” under s 12A of the Evidence Act – whether the Court of Appeal was correct to find that the prejudicial effect of the evidence in question did not outweigh its probative value pursuant to s 8 of the Evidence Act – whether the Court of Appeal was correct that the jury’s verdict was not unreasonable.[2013] NZHCA 378   CA 795/2012
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JOHN DOUGLAS MCKENZIE v R [2013] NZSC 109 [11 November 2013] (PDF, 69 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal is declined.

11 November 2013
Case name
CT v The Queen
Case number
SC 88/2013
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal gave insufficient consideration to ss 25(a) and (f) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 in deciding that no miscarriage of justice had arisen because of delay – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its assessment of the significance of the evidence unavailable to the defendant because of the time that had elapsed between the offending and the criminal proceedings.  [2013] NZCA 383   CA 188/2013
Result
Leave to appeal is granted.
The ground for appeal is whether prosecution should have been stayed because of the delay between the alleged offending and the prosecution.  
9 December 2013
_______________
Appeal allowed. Conviction quashed.
No order for new trial.
30 October 2014
Transcripts
Media Releases
Leave judgment - leave granted
CT v R [2013] NZSC 142 [9 December 2013] (PDF, 11 KB)
Substantive judgment
CT (SC 88/2013) v R [2014] NZSC 155 [30 October 2014] (PDF, 268 KB)
Case name
Maka Tuikolovatu v the Queen
Case number
SC 96/2013
Summary
Criminal appeal – Appeal against conviction – Murder / Accessory after the fact – Crimes Act 1961, s 167(b) and (d) – Whether trial Judge misdirected jury by referring to degrees of murder – Whether Court of Appeal correct to conclude there was no miscarriage of justice. [2013] NZCA 282  CA 527/2012
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHADROCK v R [2013] NZSC 96 [9 October 2013] (PDF, 64 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

9 October 2013
Case name
Najeeb Dawood Dawood v the Queen
Case number
SC 97/2013
Summary
Criminal – Sentence – s 104 Crimes Act 1961 – whether a sentence of a minimum term of 17 years imprisonment was manifestly unjust in the circumstances.   [2013] NZCA 381  CA 109/2013
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
NAJEEB DAWOOD DAWOOD v R [2013] NZSC 118 [13 November 2013] (PDF, 43 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

13 November 2013
Case name
PPT v The Queen
Case number
SC 98/2013
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in law by ruling that the propensity evidence is admissible.[2013] NZCA 365  CA 276/2012, CA 426/2013
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

15 October 2013
Case name
V v The Queen
Case number
SC 99/2013
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against Conviction – Appeal out of time – Historic offending – Representative counts of rape, sexual violation and indecent assault – Self-representation at Court of Appeal hearing resulted in a substantial miscarriage of justice – Failure to make oral submissions at hearing – Difficulties with memory hindered ability to conduct appeal – Breach of s 25(h) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.[2012] NZCA 14  CA 107/2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
V (SC99/2013) v R [2013] NZSC 129 [26 November 2013] (PDF, 47 KB)
Recall judgment
V (SC 99/2013) v R [2014] NZSC 56 [13 May 2014] (PDF, 44 KB)
Dates

 Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

Application for recall of judgement dismissed.

26 November 2013
Case name
Darren George Hosking  v The Queen
Case number
SC 100/2013
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Fair trial – Whether the applicant was denied a fair trial because he was convicted on the basis of false allegations.[2012] NZCA 460   CA 317/2012
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
13 December 2013.
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DARREN GEORGE HOSKING v R [2013] NZSC 144 [13 December 2013] (PDF, 50 KB)
Case name
Mikhail Rafael Pandey-Johnson v The Queen
Case number
SC 104/2013
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction and sentence – Murder – Whether Court of Appeal erred in concluding that Crown had proved causation – Whether trial counsel erred in failing to challenge causation at trial – Whether evidence of Crown witness was admissible – Whether minimum non-parole period imposed was too high – Whether factors in s 104 of the Sentencing Act 2002 applied.  [2012] NZCA 595    CA 515/2011
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MIKHAIL RAFAEL PANDEY-JOHNSON v R [2013] NZSC 135 [2 December 2013] (PDF, 60 KB)
Dates

 Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

 2 December 2013
Case name
William  Victor George Conway  v The Queen
Case number
SC 106/2013
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Resource Management Act 1991, s 15(1)(b) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the evidence relied on by the Crown supported the conviction of the applicant on the counts alleging breach of enforcement orders – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in ruling admissible the prior statement of the applicant where supplementary information was required to interpret correctly the content of the statement – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by effectively ruling that under s 15(1)(b) the Crown did not need to establish a real risk that the contaminant discharge onto the land might enter water – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in accepting the ruling of the trial Judge as to the verdicts which ought to have been accepted from the jury where the jury had returned verdicts of guilty on all the charges the applicant faced including the counts laid against him in the alternative[2013] NZCA 438   CA 806/2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
24 October 2013
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
WILLIAM VICTOR GEORGE CONWAY v R [2013] NZSC 103 [24 October 2013] (PDF, 51 KB)
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