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.
23 December 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 23 December 2024) – Cases where leave granted (126 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 23 December 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 116 KB)
All years
Case name
Quentin Stobart Haines, BPE Trustees (No 1) Limited and Quentin Haines Properties Limited v Roy William Bassett-Burr
Case number
SC 146/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicants must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
14 May 2024
B The applicants must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
14 May 2024
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Brett David Grinder v Attorney-General and New Zealand Parole Board
Case number
SC 147/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Attorney-General v Grinder [2023] NZCA 596).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal and in particular the proper approach to the imposition, variation or discharge of special conditions when a person subject to preventive detention is granted release on parole.
6 May 2024
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal and in particular the proper approach to the imposition, variation or discharge of special conditions when a person subject to preventive detention is granted release on parole.
6 May 2024
Date of hearing
22 October 2024
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams, Kós & Miller JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 22 October 2024 Appellant submissions (PDF, 427 KB)
- Hearing date 22 October 2024 First Respondent submissions (PDF, 1 MB)
- Hearing date 22 October 2024 Second Respondent submissions (PDF, 342 KB)
- Hearing date 22 October 2024 Intervener Criminal Bar Association submissions (PDF, 242 KB)
- Hearing date 22 October 2024 Intervener The Law Association submissions (PDF, 580 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 22 October 2024 Case Synopsis (PDF, 323 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Videos
- Brett David Grinder v Attorney-General and New Zealand parole Board (Recorded, 22 October 2024)
Case name
Sai Kumar Sachu v The King
Case number
SC 148/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
25 March 2024
25 March 2024
District Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SAI KUMAR SACHU v R [2024] NZSC 24 [25 March 2024] (PDF, 176 KB)
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v Christopher John Hipkins and David William Parker
Case number
SC 149/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
9 May 2024
B There is no order as to costs.
9 May 2024
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Barry Bai and Caoping Ding v Thomas Edmund William James and Iain McLennan, Keaton Pronk and McDonald Vague Limited
Case number
SC 1/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicants must pay two sets of costs of $2,500, one to the first respondent and the other to the second respondents.
25 March 2022
_________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 25 March 2022 (Ding v James [2022] NZSC 28) is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal in SC 36/2022 is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
11 May 2022
B The applicants must pay two sets of costs of $2,500, one to the first respondent and the other to the second respondents.
25 March 2022
_________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 25 March 2022 (Ding v James [2022] NZSC 28) is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal in SC 36/2022 is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
11 May 2022
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Todd Aaron Marteley v The Queen
Case number
SC 2/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application to recall judgment
Result
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 13 March 2017 (Marteley v R [2017] NZSC 31) is dismissed.
9 March 2022
9 March 2022
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Recall judgment
TODD AARON MARTELEY v R [2022] NZSC 21 [9 March 2022] (PDF, 211 KB)
Case name
Liyun Chen v Auckland Weihao Investment Limited
Case number
SC 3/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
17 March 2022
17 March 2022
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Yingqiu Zhang v Westpac New Zealand Limited
Case number
SC 4/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
31 March 2022
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
31 March 2022
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Alexandra Johnston and Graham Wesley Johnston v Auckland Council
Case number
SC 5/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
6 April 2022
6 April 2022
District Court decision
Not publicly available
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Port Otago Limited v Environmental Defence Society Incorporated, Otago Regional Council, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated and Marlborough District Council
Case number
SC 6/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Port Otago Ltd v Environmental Defence Society Inc [2021] NZCA 638).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
17 March 2022
______________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The order remitting the matter to the Environment Court is set aside.
C The Otago Regional Council is directed to consult the parties and any other persons it considers appropriate on a redrafted policy 4.3.7(d)–(e) in the proposed Otago Regional Policy Statement either:
(a) along the lines in paragraph [87] of this judgment or to similar effect; or
(b) otherwise to give appropriate effect to the policies of the NZCPS and their inter-relationships.
D Costs are reserved.
24 August 2023
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
17 March 2022
______________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The order remitting the matter to the Environment Court is set aside.
C The Otago Regional Council is directed to consult the parties and any other persons it considers appropriate on a redrafted policy 4.3.7(d)–(e) in the proposed Otago Regional Policy Statement either:
(a) along the lines in paragraph [87] of this judgment or to similar effect; or
(b) otherwise to give appropriate effect to the policies of the NZCPS and their inter-relationships.
D Costs are reserved.
24 August 2023
Date of hearing
11 May 2022
- 12 May 2022
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Appellant Port Otago submissions (PDF, 7.5 MB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Appellant Port Otago oral outline (PDF, 747 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 First Respondent EDS submissions (PDF, 861 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Second Respondent ORC submissions (PDF, 335 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Second Respondent ORC oral outline (PDF, 693 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Third Respondent FB submissions (PDF, 855 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Fourth Respondent MDC submissions (PDF, 998 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party FB submissions (PDF, 671 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party NZTA submissions (PDF, 997 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party NZTA oral outline (PDF, 1 MB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party Auckland Council submissions (PDF, 9.2 MB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party Mana Whenua Parties submissions (PDF, 815 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party Mana Whenua Parties oral outline (PDF, 650 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party Ngati Whatua Orakei submissions (PDF, 695 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 Interested Party Ngati Whatua Orakei oral outline (PDF, 705 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing 11 and 12 May 2022 (PDF, 867 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 11 and 12 May 2022 (PDF, 198 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2023] NZSC 112 (PDF, 326 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
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