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
Pawel Marian Misiuk v New Zealand Parole Board, Department of Corrections, New Zealand Immigration.
Case number
SC 23/2012
Summary
Criminal law – Parole – Parole Act 2002, ss 21(1) and 28(5) -  Habeas corpus - Whether the Parole Board’s exercise of its extraordinary powers under s 28(5)  to amend the applicant’s release date was in breach of section 22 of the Bill of Rights 1990 prohibiting arbitrary detention – Whether not permitting the applicant to be heard or represented at certain Parole Board sittings was in breach of s 27(1) of the Bill of Rights 1990 - Whether the chairman of the Parole Board failed to comply with the procedures set out in the Parole Act 2002 and Criminal Justice Act 1985 – Whether the Parole Board failed to comply with its own policy regarding disclosure – Whether the Parole Board’s decision was based on erroneous and irrelevant information and falsified High Court records – whether the Parole Board acted outside of its jurisdiction and abused its power.CA164/2012  [2012] NZCA 116
Dates
Application for leave to appeal  dismissed.
21 June  2012.
Case name
Gareth John Needham v The Queen
Case number
SC 24/2012
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence – Expert evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to hold that the trial Judge should have ordered severance of count one into two alternative counts – Whether there was a breach of s 92 of the Evidence Act 2006 as trial counsel did not cross-examine four Crown witnesses on an issue of veracity – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in fact and law in relation to an issue that a Crown witness was allegedly improperly asked in evidence-in-chief – Whether evidence should have been led as to the lack of previous convictions of the appellant – Whether the Court of Appeal should have determined the admissibility of fresh good character evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the fresh evidence of an astronomer would not have been substantially helpful – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the fresh evidence of a consultant forensic pathologist would not have been substantially helpful.CA 443/2011  [2012] NZCA 95
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
14 June 2012.
Case name
YS v The Queen
Case number
SC 26/2012
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence and Procedure – Admissibility of evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of the verb “to obtain” in the context of s 30(5) of the Evidence Act 2006 – Whether the Court erred in its decision not to exclude the statements made by the appellants on the ground of unfairness.CA 373/2011  [2012] NZCA 114
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
23 May 2012.
Case name
CF v The Queen
Case number
SC 27/2012
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence and Procedure – Admissibility of evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of the verb “to obtain” in the context of s 30(5) of the Evidence Act 2006 – Whether the Court erred in its decision not to exclude the statements made by the appellants on the ground of unfairness.CA 372/2011  [2012] NZCA 114
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
23 May 2012.
Case name
Jason Lloyd Jones v The Queen
Case number
SC 29/2012
Summary
Criminal – Sentencing – Rape – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in raising the applicant’s sentence from 9.5 years to 13 years – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in concluding that a finding of ‘ significant premeditation’ in sexual offending was not restricted to the existence of a fixed intention to have non-consensual-sex prior to the offending, and that an offence would be ‘significantly’ premeditated where there was an intent to have sexual connection with the victims regardless of whether consent was forthcoming – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the victim’s consent to sexual activity with the applicant’ s co-offender prior to the rape was not relevant to sentencing – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the lower Court’s 6 month reduction for ‘previous good conduct, family circumstances and the shame experienced’ was inappropriate in light of his past offending and repeated denial of the rape. CA 376/2011  [2012] NZCA 27
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
18 June 2012.
Case name
CAW v The Queen
Case number
SC 34/2012
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Admissibility of evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that while the search of the property should have been brought to the attention of the issuing officer, the failure to do so was not material – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that it would be inappropriate for the Court to make a finding of bad faith or deliberate omission in the absence of such a finding made by the District Court Judge – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that the evidence was admissible.CA  710/2011  [2012] NZCA120
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 5 June 2012.
Case name
Jay Maui Wallace  v The Queen
Case number
SC 35/2012
Summary
Criminal law – Jurisdiction – Whether the courts of New Zealand have jurisdiction to try the applicant. CA  417/2011  [2012] NZCA139
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed
11 July 2012.
Case name
Vincent Ross Siemer v The Solicitor-General
Case number
SC 37/2012
Summary
CA  417/2011  [2012] NZCA139
Result

Leave to appeal is granted. 
The approved ground is whether New Zealand courts have inherent power or jurisdiction to suppress judgments in criminal cases. 

19 July 2012

__________________

Appeal dismissed.
Mr Siemer must  surrender at the Registry of the High Court at Auckland at 9.00 am on Monday 16 July 2013.

 

12 July 2013
Transcripts

Hearing date : 15 November 2012

Hearing date : 14 February 2013

Elias CJ, McGrath, William Young, Chambers  Glazebrook JJ
Case name
KDM v The Queen
Case number
SC 38/2012
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Admissibility of evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that while the search of the property should have been brought to the attention of the issuing officer, the failure to do so was not material – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that it would be inappropriate for the Court to make a finding of bad faith or deliberate omission in the absence of such a finding made by the District Court Judge – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that the evidence was admissible.CA  709/2011  [2012] NZCA120
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 5 June 2012.
Case name
K A  v The Queen
Case number
SC 40/2012
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Joinder – Crimes Act 1961, s 345D – The applicant was convicted on a charge of sexual violation – His brother was a co-accused at the same trial in relation to discrete offending – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in fact and law in finding that the trial Judge’s powers under s 345D were validly invoked and exercised. [2012]NZCA 183  CA 274/2011
Dates
Hearing
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