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.
19 June 2026
Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 89 KB)
Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 126 KB)
All years
Case name
Peter Morrison Petryszick v The Queen
Case number
SC 103/2009
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against conviction – Criminal Procedure – Abuse of Process – Delay – Appellant granted adjournment by Court of Appeal on strict terms with which he failed to comply – Whether Court of Appeal erred in concluding no merit in grounds of appeal raised – Whether Court of Appeal erred in not affording the appellant additional time to investigate grounds of complaint.[2009] NZCA 515 CA 269/2008 27 October 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted on the question whether the applicant was denied his right to appeal.
20 April 2010
___________________
A The appeal is allowed and the order made by the Court of Appeal set aside. B The appellant’ s appeal against his conviction is remitted to the Court of Appeal for determination in accordance with s 385(1) of the Crimes Act 1961.
24 August 2010
20 April 2010
___________________
A The appeal is allowed and the order made by the Court of Appeal set aside. B The appellant’ s appeal against his conviction is remitted to the Court of Appeal for determination in accordance with s 385(1) of the Crimes Act 1961.
24 August 2010
Transcripts
- sc 103 2009 petryszick peter morrison v r (PDF, 431 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2010] NZSC 105 (PDF, 87 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
PETRYSZICK v R SC 103/2009 [24 August 2010] (PDF, 148 KB)
Substantive judgment / Media release
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath, Anderson JJ
Case name
Ghlenn Thomas Douglas Gollop v The Queen
Case number
SC 104/2009
Summary
Criminal Appeal – appeal against sentence – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding without evidence to the required standard that the quantum of manufacture was 250g which materially effected the level of sentence in terms of s 24 of the Sentencing Act 2002 – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding the minimum term of imprisonment was justified when the appellant was not represented by counsel at sentencing, contrary to s 30 of the Sentencing Act 2002.[2009] NZCA 486 CA 162/200 19 October 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
17 December 2009
17 December 2009
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
GOLLOP v R SC 104/2009 [17 December 2009] (PDF, 38 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Attorney-General v Tamil X v Refugee Status Appeals Authority and Y
Case number
SC 107/2009
Summary
Immigration – whether the Court of Appeal erred in interpreting Article 1F of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; whether the Court erred in not remitting an Article 1F inquiry to the Refugee Status Appeals Authority[2009] NZCA 488 CA 109/2008 20 October 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
10 March 2010
__________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The respondent’s application for recognition of refugee status is remitted to the Refugee Status Appeals Authority for consideration in accordance with the Court of Appeal’s order.
C Costs are reserved and counsel may submit memoranda if necessary.
27 August 2010
10 March 2010
__________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The respondent’s application for recognition of refugee status is remitted to the Refugee Status Appeals Authority for consideration in accordance with the Court of Appeal’s order.
C Costs are reserved and counsel may submit memoranda if necessary.
27 August 2010
Media Releases
- MR [2010] NZSC 107 (PDF, 84 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Transcript
Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath, Anderson JJ.
Judgment appealed from
Substantive judgment / Media release
Case name
Adrian Stanley Budd v The Queen
Case number
SC 109/2009
Summary
Criminal appeal – Sexual offences – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding there was no miscarriage of justice within s 385(1) (c) Crimes Act 1961 on the basis trial counsel was not incompetent. [2009] NZCA 419 CA 747/2008 21 September 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
12 July 2010
12 July 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BUDD v R SC 109/2009 [12 July 2010] (PDF, 45 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Edward Woodrow Collins v The Queen
Case number
SC 110/2009
Summary
Criminal – Conspiracy to manufacture Class A drug – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the trial Judge gave proper jury directions on the evidence of co-conspirators – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in not ruling whether there was reasonable evidence that the applicant adhered to the conspiracy.[2009] NZCA 519 CA 119/2009 4 November 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
2 March 2010
2 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
COLLINS v R SC 110/2009 [2 March 2010] (PDF, 13 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Alan Stanley Perkins and Adrieene Rosemary Perkins v Tere Moana Purea and Tom Tangi-Tuake and June Tangi-Tuake
Case number
SC 111/2009
Summary
Civil – Land Transfer Act 1952 – the appellants sued for specific performance after the respondent failed to settle a house purchase due to a dispute with his daughter over ownership which resulted in her lodging a caveat against the title of the property – whether, in light of s 182 of the Land Transfer Act 1952, the Court of Appeal erroneously approached the matter by way of contest between competing equities – whether the Court of Appeal should have held that registration is conclusive and that the appellants, as bona fide purchasers for value without notice of the daughter’ s equitably interest, should take the property notwithstanding that the daughter’ s equitable interest was earlier in time – alternatively, whether the Court of Appeal erred in the approach they adopted in consideration of the hierarchy of equities.[2009] NZCA 541 CA 365/2008 18 November 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs $2,500 to the 2nd Respondent.
4 March 2010
4 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Stephen Leslie Jellyman v The Queen
Case number
SC 112/2009
Summary
Criminal Appeal – whether the sentence of preventive detention was manifestly excessive; Whether the appellant’s right to silence and right against self-incrimination were breached by admitting the appellant’ s videotaped statement to police; Whether the complainant, who was intellectually disadvantaged, understood either the oath or the moral or legal consequences of not telling the truth and thereby occasioning a miscarriage of justice; Whether the complainant’s unsworn evidence was admissible.[2009] NZCA 532 CA 6/2009 12 November 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
12 March 2010
12 March 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JELLYMAN v R SC 112/2009 [12 March 2010] (PDF, 14 KB)
Case name
Slawomir Ryszard Bujak v The Minister of Justice
Case number
SC 113/2009
Summary
Civil Appeal – Extradition – Judicial Review – Whether Court of Appeal erred in finding Minister not obliged to take account of the appellant’s state of health and humanitarian concerns raised on appellant’ s behalf in making his decision under s 30 of the Extradition Act 1999 and Art 1 of the Extradition Treaty between Poland and New Zealand – Whether Court of Appeal gave inappropriate weight to evidence of appellant’s doctor and erred in concluding appellant’s ailments were not a basis on which to stop or delay an extradition.[2009] NZCA 570 CA 719/2009 4 December 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. Costs $2,500 to the respondent. 11 February 2010
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Contract Pacific Limited v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 114/2009
Summary
Civil Appeal – Taxation – Whether the Commissioner satisfied the time limits contained in s 46 of the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985 – Whether Contract Pacific had already been paid a refund for the purposes of s 241 (6) (a) of the Taxation (Taxpayer Assessment and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2001. [2009] NZCA 568 CA 759/2009 4 December 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
4 March 2010
__________________________
Appeal dismissed. Costs $15,000 to the respondent, plus disbursements.
16 November 2010
4 March 2010
__________________________
Appeal dismissed. Costs $15,000 to the respondent, plus disbursements.
16 November 2010
Transcripts
- sc 114 2009 contract pacific v ird (PDF, 384 KB)
Media Releases
- sc 114 2009 contract pacific media (PDF, 85 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
Matthew John Birchler v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 116/2009
Summary
Criminal – appeal directly from the High Court under s 144A(1)(a) of the Summary Proceedings Act 1957 – intended appeal against the determination of the High Court by way of case stated under s 107 of the Summary Proceedings Act – whether direct appeal to the Supreme Court appropriate given that the Court of Appeal has previously refused leave to appeal on this point on the basis that there were no grounds for challenge to the well established interpretation of s 108 of the Summary Proceedings Act in Davis v Mingins (HC, Rot, AP 48/91, 30/10/91, Fisher J). CRI 2009 485 83 25 November 2009
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
18 March 2010
_____________________________
Appeal allowed. Order made in the High Court remitting the matter for consideration in the District Court is quashed.
Reasons to be given later.
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment / Media release
Transcript
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