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
Jeremy William Mataira v The Queen
Case number
SC 53/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Assault – Appeal against convictions based on alleged misconduct at trial – Whether Appellant denied ability to mount a credible appeal to Court of Appeal because evidence of alleged misconduct at trial unavailable.[2010] NZCA 190   CA 162/2009   14 May 2010
Dates

Notice of Abandonment being lodged, the application for leave to appeal  is deemed to be dismissed.

13 August 2010.
Case name
Dylan Robert Tuhura v The Queen
Case number
SC 61/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of the proviso to s 385(1) of the Crimes Act 1961; whether the Court of Appeal’ s decision amounts to a miscarriage of justice.[2010] NZCA 246   CA 493/2010    10 June 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TUHURA V R SC 61/2010 [2 November 2010] (PDF, 49 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal  refused.

2 November 2010.
Case name
TMT v The Queen
Case number
SC 73/2010
Summary
Criminal – Admissibility of evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in ruling video evidence taken on private property during an undercover operation admissible.[2010]  NZCA 287  5 July  2010
Result

Appeal dismissed.

17 December 2010
Dates

Application for leave to appeal granted.

13 August 2010
Hearing

2 December 2010.

Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath, William Young JJ
Case name
TRD v The Queen
Case number
SC 74/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Implied licence to enter private property – whether a police officer acts within the terms of the implied licence at common law to enter private property when he enters with the purpose of investigating suspected criminal activity as well as the intention to communicate with the occupier of the property[2010]  NZCA 297  14 July  2010
Dates

Application for leave to appeal is dismissed.

8 September 2010
Case name
Sialofi Nee Ah Kee Patea v The Queen
Case number
SC 76/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961 - Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s appeal against conviction for assault with intent to injure.[2010]  NZCA 338  30 July  2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SIALOFI NEE AH KEE PATEA v R SC 76/2010 [3 November 2010] (PDF, 47 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

3 November 2010.
Case name
Iowane Seru Sucuturaga v The Queen
Case number
SC 78/2010
Summary
Criminal – Appeal from conviction for sexual violation by rape – What is the proper test for admission of evidence concerning jury deliberations – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that a witness had committed perjury when he had not faced a jury – What is the standard of proof for a finding of perjury – Whether a miscarriage of justice was caused by the admission of inadmissible evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding the jury’s verdicts were not inconsistent – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding the trial Judge’s misdirection on representative counts did not cause a miscarriage of justice.
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
IOWANE SERU SUCUTURAGA v R SC 78/2010 [3 February 2011] (PDF, 10 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

3 February 2011
Case name
Rupinder Singh Chahil v The Queen
Case number
SC 79/2010
Summary
Criminal appeal – convictions for kidnapping after joint trial with three others – appeal against sentence and conviction – statement of co-accused used in evidence against the applicant – the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal against sentence but declined to impose a sentence of home detention in place of imprisonment – Whether the applicant’s rights under section 25 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (minimum standards of criminal procedure) were breached by the Crown’s use of the co-accused’ s statement at trial – whether the Court of Appeal failed to identify the extent and impact of the inadmissible material – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to consider home detention as an option in terms of section 16 of the Sentencing Act 2002.[2010]  NZCA 331   27 July  2010
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dimissed.

28 September 2010
Case name
Chala Sani Abdula v The Queen
Case number
SC 80/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal - whether the applicant was denied his right to an interpreter under s 24(g) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990; whether the adequacy of evidence called by the defence at trial and the Court of Appeal's refusal of an application to call further medical and scientific evidence gave rise to a miscarriage of justice.[2010]  NZCA 332   28 July  2010
Result
A  The application for leave to appeal is granted.
B  The approved ground of appeal is whether the applicant was denied his right to an interpreter under s 24(g) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.
4 November 2010
___________________________________
Appeal dismissed.
1 November 2011
Transcripts
Media Releases
Substantive judgment
ABDULA v R SC 80/2010 [1 November 2011] (PDF, 149 KB)
Case name
Gary Maui Isherwood v The Queen
Case number
SC 81/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against sentence of preventive detention - Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s application for an extension of time for filing an appeal against sentence.[2010]  NZCA 347   3 August  2010
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dimissed.

21 September 2010.
Case name
Bruce Benjamin Shepherd v The Queen
Case number
SC 84/2010
Summary
Criminal – appeal against conviction and sentence – applicant was convicted on 20 counts of sexual offending against eight complainants –  during re-examination of one complainant the judge intervened to clarify the meaning of an earlier question from counsel for the defence in cross-examination and sought the complainant’s answer – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the questioning did not give rise to a miscarriage of justice – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that particular conduct of the applicant’s counsel at trial did not give rise to a miscarriage of justice .[2010] NZCA 351 CA 105/2009 5 August 2010.
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHEPHERD v R SC 84/2010 [1 April 2011] (PDF, 10 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

1 April 2011
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