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
Vaughn Bennett v The Queen
Case number
SC 16/2004 CRI 16/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction and sentence for charges of manslaughter and supply of a Class B drug - appellant administered methadone to victim - when a witness may be allowed to refresh his/her memory from statements made to police - when and how a timeline may be presented to a jury - whether a sentence of ten years' imprisonment (with a six year non-parole period) was within the range available to the sentencing judge. CA457/03 23 September 2004
Result
Application for leave to appeal refused.
10 December 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
VAUGHN BENNETT V R SC SC CRI 16/04 [10 December 2004] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from

NZLII : BENNET v R [2004] NZCA 239
Case name
V v The Queen
Case number
Summary
Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including theresult) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
Result

Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including

the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final

disposition of trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.                                                               

7 July 2017

______________________

Substantive:

Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.               
21 September 2017
Case number                              

SC 54/2017
Hearing date

Hearing date : 22 August 2017                                                                      
Elias CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan and Ellen France JJ.
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