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
Jamie Ronaki Kissling v The Queen       
Case number
SC 19/2010
Summary
Criminal – Production and possession of methamphetamine – Lack of evidence – Whether the Court of Appeal, having quashed the charge of manufacturing methamphetamine for want of evidence, erred in refusing to quash the charges relating to possession of precursor equipment and methamphetamine[2009] NZCA 289   CA 5/2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
KISSLING v R SC 19/2010 [9 June 2010] (PDF, 34 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

9 June 2010.
Case name
Cyndi Marcia Fairburn v The Queen
Case number
SC 20/2010
Summary
Criminal – Murder – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in law by refusing to allow fresh evidence from expert witnesses[2010] NZCA 44   CA 169/2009
Result
 

Further evidence is admitted.

The appeal is allowed and the conviction is quashed.

A new trial is ordered.

17 December 2010.
Hearing

29 and 30 November 2010.

Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath, William Young JJ
Dates

The application for leave to appeal is granted

The approved ground is whether, in the light of the further evidence tendered in this Court and in the Court of Appeal, there has been a miscarriage of justice

18 June 2010
Case name
Jonathan Ian Blake v The Queen
Case number
SC 23/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether Court of Appeal erred in dismissing appeal against conviction – Whether erroneous legal advice given to Appellant by trial counsel on possible admissibility of previous convictions in cross-examination had a material influence on his decision not to give evidence at trial.  [2010] NZCA 61  CA 278/2009  11 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BLAKE v R SC 23/2010 [16 June 2010] (PDF, 47 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

22 June 2010.
Case name
Trent Grant Holmes v The Queen
Case number
SC 24/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against sentence for aggravated robbery and injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm - Whether the Court of Appeal failed to take into account certain mitigating factors.[2010] NZCA 47  CA 723/2009  2 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
HOLMES v R SC 24/2010 [9 June 2010] (PDF, 13 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

9 June 2010.
Case name
Brett Stephen Taylor v The Queen
Case number
SC 26/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Unlawful sexual connection – whether the trial Judge erred in his failure to give directions in relation to the unreliability of the complainant’s evidence pursuant to s 122 of the Evidence Act 2006 – whether the inadequacy of the trial Judge’s directions regarding prejudice caused a substantial miscarriage of justice – whether the Court of Appeal erred in refusing to admit new expert evidence on appeal[2010] NZCA 69  CA 147/2009   16 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TAYLOR v R SC 26/2010 [20 July 2010] (PDF, 45 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

20 July 2010.
Case name
Dick Halton Headley v The Queen
Case number
SC 31/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961 – Abduction – whether Judge Boshier erred in making public certain Family Court judgments – whether the Court of Appeal erred in giving insufficient weight to this publication, or other information released on a website  – whether a stay of proceedings, or a change in venue should have been granted – whether the Court of Appeal erred by giving insufficient weight to the applicant’s right to a fair trial – whether the lack of experienced counsel and the appointment of an “amicus” prevented the applicant from adequately presenting his case – whether the inability to call a witness to give evidence undermined the applicant’s defence – whether police conduct in light of alleged conflicts of interest was unfair – whether the applicant was denied legal assistance to present his defence[2010] NZCA 71  CA 18/2009   16 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
HEADLEY v R SC 31/2010 [9 June 2010] (PDF, 30 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

9 June 2010.
Case name
Kay Halton Skelton v The Queen
Case number
SC 32/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961 – Abduction – whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining to set aside the applicant’s conviction, to which she entered a guilty plea, on the grounds of claimed wrongful refusals to grant a stay of proceedings, to direct a change of venue or to adjourn proceedings[2010] NZCA 71  CA 24/2009   16 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SKELTON v R SC 32/2010 [13 August 2010] (PDF, 40 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

13 October 2010.
Case name
Abdirazak Yussuf Mussa v The Queen
Case number
SC 43/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence – Appellant convicted in District Court on two counts of rape – Whether Court of Appeal and District Court erred in failing to properly weigh unfairly prejudicial effect of certain evidence against its probative effect – Whether trial Judge failed to give adequate directions as to limited use to which that evidence could be put.[2010] NZCA 123  CA 281/2009    1 April  2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MUSSA v R SC 43/2010 [5 July 2010] (PDF, 16 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

5 July 2010.
Case name
James Louis Mason v The Queen
Case number
SC 47/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – whether the Court of Appeal erred in combining two allegations of criminal conduct to be included in a single count in the indictment.[2010] NZCA 170  CA 481/2009   5 May 2010
Result
The application for leave to appeal is granted. The approved ground of appeal is whether the combining in a single count in the indictment of the two allegations (punching the child and pulling his ear) resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
7 July 2010
___________________________
Appeal allowed and the conviction is quashed. No order for a new trial.
3 November 2010
Transcripts
Media Releases
Leave judgment - leave granted
MASON v R SC 47/2010 [7 July 2010] (PDF, 6 KB)
Substantive judgment
MASON v R SC 47/2010 [3 November 2010] (PDF, 66 KB)
Transcript

Hearing date : 19 October 2010

Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath, Anderson JJ.
Case name
Robert Frank Terry v Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 49/2010
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Sentencing - Sentencing Act 2002 – Summary Proceedings Act 1957 – High Court quashed conviction for failure to complete required hours of work and held the existing sentence of community work imposed remained - Whether the High Court lacked jurisdiction to re-impose sentence originally imposed by the District Court after point in time – Whether the High Court failed to consider relevant law.CRI 2010 418 01   23 April 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Terry v Department Of Corrections SC 49/2010 [16 July 2010] (PDF, 9 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

16 July 2010.
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