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.
3 July 2026
Case information summary (as at 3 July 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 88 KB)
Case information summary (as at 3 July 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 127 KB)
All years
Case name
David Cullen Bain v The Queen
Case number
SC 13/2009
Summary
[2009] NZCA CA 769/2008 30 January 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
24 February 2009
_______________________
A The appeal is allowed. B The disputed evidence is excluded and the material in issue is to be excised.
18 March 2009
24 February 2009
_______________________
A The appeal is allowed. B The disputed evidence is excluded and the material in issue is to be excised.
18 March 2009
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
BAIN V R SC 13/2009 [6 March 2009] (PDF, 12 KB)
Additional document
Transcript hearing date 2 March 2009 (PDF, 352 KB)
Substantive judgment
BAIN v R (REASONS) SC 13/2009 [6 March 2009] (PDF, 158 KB)
Recall judgment
BAIN v R SC 13/2009 [25 May 2009] (PDF, 11 KB)
Additional document
Transcript hearing date 11 June 2009 (PDF, 39 KB)
Supreme court decision
BAIN v R SC 13/2009 [11 June 2009] (PDF, 16 KB)
Case name
Edin Bozz Boskovic v The Queen
Case number
SC 20/2009
Summary
Criminal – Sexual violation by rape – Appeal against conviction - Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the alleged incompetence of trial counsel did not cause a miscarriage of justice – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the trial Judge’s ruling on alibi evidence was correct.CA 33/2006 12 December 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
3 June 2009
3 June 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BOSKOVIC v R SC 20/2009 [3 June 2009] (PDF, 12 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Aaron Mark Wi v The Queen
Case number
SC 28/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against convictions for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and assault with intent to injure – Substantial miscarriage of justice – Whether appellant unfairly prejudiced by trial Judge’s ruling precluding appellant from adducing evidence of lack of convictions for violent offending.[2009] NZCA 81 CA 586/2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
7 May 2009
_____________________
Appeal dismissed.
27 November 2009
7 May 2009
_____________________
Appeal dismissed.
27 November 2009
Media Releases
- media release wi (PDF, 82 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
AARON MARK WI v R SC 28/2009 [7 May 2009] (PDF, 12 KB)
Substantive judgment
WI v R SC 28/2009 [27 November 2009] (PDF, 147 KB)
Transcript
Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath and Wilson JJ.
Case name
GPM v The Queen
Case number
SC 37/2009
Summary
Appeal against pre-trial ruling. Police investigating a burglary stopped a car in which the appellant was a passenger. Whether stopping the car was lawful despite police acting under a wrong statutory power when an alternative statutory power was available; Whether the continued search of the appellant’ s car after what had initially been thought to be weapon was actually a metal thermos was lawful; Whether evidence obtained during the continued search of the car and the resulting searches of the appellant and the appellant’ s house was admissible.[2009] NZCA 121 CA 743/2008 6 April 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 3 June 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Not publicly available
Case name
John Kenneth Slavich v The Queen
Case number
SC 52/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction – Fraud – Summary Proceedings Act 1957 – Judicature Act 1908 – Parallel application for leave to appeal – Whether miscarriage of justice established – Whether evidence wrongly admitted – Whether trial counsel’s conduct inappropriate.CRI 2006–419–89 12 October 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
10 August 2009.
_______________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
______________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
10 August 2009.
_______________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
______________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SLAVICH V R SC 52/2009 10 August 2009 (PDF, 13 KB)
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R SC 52/2009 [13 September 2011] (PDF, 45 KB)
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2020] NZSC 34 [16 April 2020] (PDF, 149 KB)
Recall judgment
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 72 [21 June 2024] (PDF, 194 KB)
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 175 [19 December 2024] (PDF, 187 KB)
Case name
John Kenneth Slavich v The Queen
Case number
SC 53/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction – Fraud – Admissibility of Evidence – Judicature Act 1908 – Whether miscarriage of justice established by way of Court of Appeal’s alleged failure to consider all points raised on appeal – Whether evidence wrongly admitted – Whether Court of Appeal exceeded its jurisdiction in its evaluation of the evidence.[2009] NZCA 188 CA 461/2007 15 May 2008
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
10 August 2009
_________________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
_____________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
10 August 2009
_________________________
The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
_____________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of
16 April 2020 (Slavich v R [2020] NZSC 34) is dismissed.
21 June 2024
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 175 [19 December 2024] (PDF, 187 KB)
Recall judgment
SLAVICH v R SC 52/2009 [13 September 2011] (PDF, 45 KB)
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SLAVICH V R SC 52/2009 10 August 2009 (PDF, 13 KB)
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2020] NZSC 34 [16 April 2020] (PDF, 149 KB)
Recall judgment
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v R [2024] NZSC 72 [21 June 2024] (PDF, 194 KB)
Case name
Benjamin Morland Easton v Broadcasting Commission and Broadcasting Standards Authority
Case number
SC 55/2009
Summary
Civil – Security for costs – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in requiring security for costs before hearing – Whether the Court of Appeal’s requirement for security of costs amounts to an unreasonable barrier to Court access and is discriminatory – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss allegedly “uncontested evidence”[2009] NZCA 252 CA 793/2008 17 June 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 5 August 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Victor Stojanovich v The Queen
Case number
SC 62/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – convictions for sexual violations by rape and unlawful sexual connection – appeal based on conduct of defence counsel and alleged deficiencies in the trial process – whether the appellant was denied the right to a fair trial – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the failure of trial counsel to cross-examine the complainant on inconsistencies between her evidence at trial, her statement to the Police and evidence at first trial did not amount to a miscarriage of justice – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the trial judge’s direction on consent did not amount to a miscarriage of justice.[2009] NZCA 210 CA 427/2008 27 May 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
27 August 2009
27 August 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
STOJANOVICH V R SC 62/2009 27 August 2009 (PDF, 12 KB)
Case name
Slawomir Ryszard Bujak v The District Court at Christchurch and The Republic of Poland
Case number
SC 64/2009
Summary
Civil – extradition - whether Court of Appeal erred in refusing to admit new evidence – whether Court of Appeal erred in determining that by joining an extradition Treaty New Zealand has accepted that the court system in the partner state is robust enough to grant a fair trial – whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that comity interest must be balanced against, and could somehow trump, an individual’s liberty rights – whether the Court of Appeal erred in deciding that the ‘ copies’ provided by the second respondent sufficed for extradition from New Zealand purposes – whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that the requisite authentication procedures were followed and that the evidence against the Appellant was not hearsay – whether the Court of Appeal failed to consider relevant case law provided by counsel. [2009] NZCA 257 CA 678/2008 19 June 2009.
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Any application for costs to be made within 10 working days.
15 September 2009
________________
Order for costs to the 2nd respondent in the sum of $2,000.
15 October 2009
15 September 2009
________________
Order for costs to the 2nd respondent in the sum of $2,000.
15 October 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Additional document
Case name
Maia Rongonui v The Queen
Case number
SC 66/2009
Summary
Criminal – Evidence Act 2006 – Mr Rongonui was convicted of one count of sexual violation by unlawful connection and one of assault with intent to commit rape – whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the complainant’s evidence that she had told her friend what occurred after the incident did not fall within s 35 of the Evidence Act dealing with previous consistent statements because evidence was not given of anything actually said by the complainant – whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the District Court Judge was correct to allow the prosecutor to use a witness statement to refresh the memory of a witness and to allow cross-examination of the witness on the grounds of hostility[2009] NZCA 279 CA 736/2008 2 July 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
21 September 2009
___________________________
Appeal allowed, convictions set aside. Order for new trial. Reasons to be given at a later date. 2
7 November 2009
_____________________________
Reasons given 23 July 2010
21 September 2009
___________________________
Appeal allowed, convictions set aside. Order for new trial. Reasons to be given at a later date. 2
7 November 2009
_____________________________
Reasons given 23 July 2010
Transcripts
- Hearing date 19 November 2009 (PDF, 504 KB)
Media Releases
- media release rongonui 23 july new release (PDF, 83 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Rongonui v R SC 66/2009 [21 September 2009] (PDF, 9 KB)
Substantive judgment
RONGONUI v R SC 66/2009 [27 November 2009] (PDF, 170 KB)
Page 33 of 46