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.
14 May 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 14 May 2024) – Cases where leave granted (121 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 14 May 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 92 KB)
All years
Case name
Paul Andrew Gottermeyer v The Queen
Case number
SC 62/2014
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Sentencing Act 2002, s 104 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that mental health issues do not prevent s 104(1)(e) being engaged.[2014] NZCA 205 CA 739/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
19 August 2014
19 August 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
judgment appealed from
not available online
Case name
Colin Geoffrey Hayball v The Queen
Case number
SC 63/2014
Summary
Criminal appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal and/or the trial Judge acted impartially – Whether the verdict could reasonably have been supported on the evidence – Whether the sentence was unreasonable.[2014] NZCA 237 CA 658/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed. 18 September 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
AD v The Queen
Case number
SC 64/2014
Summary
[2014] NZCA 223 CA 490/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
21 August 2014
21 August 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
AD v R [2014] NZSC 114 [21 August 2014] (PDF, 58 KB)
Judgment appealed from
not available online
Case name
Evgeny Orlov v The National Standards Committee No 1
Case number
SC 65/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the decision of the High Court to debar the applicant’s counsel – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that a judge who had subsequently recused himself could exercise the jurisdiction to debar counsel – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in refusing to allow the applicant to record the hearing – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in making directions as to how the amicus should perform their duties.[2014] NZCA 242 CA 127/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 plus all reasonable disbursements to the respondent.
26 September 2014
The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 plus all reasonable disbursements to the respondent.
26 September 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Robert Alfred Stevenson v The Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 66/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Habeas corpus – Habeas Corpus Act 2001, s 14(2)(a) and New Zealand Bill Of Rights Act 1990, s 25(h) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in refusing to issue a writ of habeas corpus – Whether s 14(2)(a) of the Habeas Corpus Act 2001 applies in this case – Whether s 25(h) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 impacts on the interpretation of s 14(2)(a) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in not considering all relevant evidence.[2014] NZCA 308 CA 321/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
4 September 2014
___________
The application for recall is dismissed.
18 September 2014
____________
Nothing new raised in what is effectively a second recall application. It is dismissed.
Registrar directed not to receive for filing further such applications.
25 September 2014
4 September 2014
___________
The application for recall is dismissed.
18 September 2014
____________
Nothing new raised in what is effectively a second recall application. It is dismissed.
Registrar directed not to receive for filing further such applications.
25 September 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
R v The Queen
Case number
SC 67/2014
Summary
Criminal Appeal – s 385 Crimes Act 1961 – Whether the verdicts of the jury are unsafe by virtue of the circumstances in which they were delivered by the jury – Whether there has been a miscarriage of justice.[2014] NZCA 239 CA 282/2103
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
22 December 2014
22 December 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
R v R [2014] NZSC 194 22 December 2014 (PDF, 92 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Rhys Michael Cullen v The Queen
Case number
SC 68/2014
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the actions and state of mind of an employee authorised by s 19 of the Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 2004 to enter into transactions on behalf of a license holder are attributable to the licence holder – Whether the acts of an employee whose normal duties include assistance in dismantling cars are attributable to the employer as acts helping to dispose of property within the scope of s 246 of the Crimes Act 1961. [2014] NZCA 325 CA 769/2013.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is granted.
The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss Mr Cullen’s appeal.
22 October 2014
__________________
Appeal dismissed.
29 May 2015
The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss Mr Cullen’s appeal.
22 October 2014
__________________
Appeal dismissed.
29 May 2015
Transcripts
- Hearing date 10 March 2015 (PDF, 371 KB)
Media Releases
- sc68 2014cullenvrpressthrelease (PDF, 252 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
CULLEN v R [2015] NZSC 73 [29 May 2015] (PDF, 162 KB)
Case name
Margot Crequer v Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development
Case number
SC 69/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Civil procedure – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the application for an extension of time to file a case on appeal and apply for a hearing date.[2014] NZCA 284 CA 84/2013.
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
2 September 2014
_______________
Application for recall of judgment dismissed.
6 March 2015
2 September 2014
_______________
Application for recall of judgment dismissed.
6 March 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Jet Trustees Limited v Robert Mark Patrick Dunphy, Greymouth Holdings Limited and others
Case number
SC 70/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Companies Act 1993, s 174 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the order of the High Court that the appellant sell its shares – Whether the Court of Appeal acted disproportionately by not limiting the relief granted to the minimum extent necessary to address the proven oppression.[2014] NZCA 266 CA 366/2013;
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. The applicant must pay costs of $2,500 to the first, second, seventh and eighth respondents collectively, plus reasonable disbursements.
9 October 2014
9 October 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
KW v The Queen
Case number
SC 71/2014
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to deal with a number of grounds of appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in not allowing vital evidence to be provided to the Court.[2014] NZCA 241 CA 526/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
10 September 2014
10 September 2014
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Not publicly available
Judgment appealed from
not electronically available
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