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.
24 June 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 21 June 2024) – Cases where leave granted (121 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 21 June 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 125 KB)
All years
Case name
John Douglas Tamati Te Hoko-Whitu-Atu Hauraki as trustee of the Ngawapurua and Rua Roa Trusts v Richard Tatere
Case number
SC 134/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Maori land – Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in treating the trustees’ children as if they were income beneficiaries when there was irrefutable evidence that eight of the nine children had ceased to be and were not income beneficiaries for the purposes of the Act – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by ignoring the only condition of the consents of both sets of beneficiaries, that due and proper consideration be given to the claims relating to “tipuna whenua” , “whakapapa” and “taonga tuku iho” – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by declining to consider whakapapa which it had provisionally allowed to be adduced.[2014] NZCA 532 CA 451/2013
Result
Notice of abandonment being filed, the application for leave to appeal is deemed to be dismissed. 20 February 2015
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Evgeny Orlov v New Zealand Law Society and others
Case number
SC 135/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Court of Appeal (Civil) Rules 2005, r 35(6) – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the application for review of the decision of the Registrar of the Court of Appeal not to dispense with or vary payment of security for costs.[2014] NZCA 569 CA 456/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500 plus reasonable disbursements.
18 February 2015
The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500 plus reasonable disbursements.
18 February 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Wendy Maree Whitehead v The Queen
Case number
SC 136/2014
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Crimes Act 1961, ss 229A(b) and 228(b); and Accident Compensation Act 2001 – Whether insufficient direction was given to the jury as to what constituted a de facto relationship – Whether loss of entitlement ought to have been determined before the criminal trial.[2014] NZCA 573 CA 300/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
30 March 2015
30 March 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
WENDY MAREE WHITEHEAD v R [2015] NZSC 29 30 March 2015 (PDF, 124 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Allen Louis Harriman v Attorney-General and New Zealand Parole Board
Case number
SC 137/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether there are a number of material errors in the Court of Appeal’s judgment.[2014] NZCA 544 CA 463/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
No order for costs.
14 April 2015
No order for costs.
14 April 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
New Zealand Cards Limited v Colin Ramsay
Case number
SC 138/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal considered all of the issues on which leave was granted – Whether there was unfairness or lawyer misconduct in the process leading to the Court of Appeal judgment – The proper approach to constructive dismissal – Whether on the facts of this case there has been a dismissal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred.[2014] NZCA 512 CA 424/2012
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500. 22 April 2015
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500. 22 April 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Jeremy James McGuire v The Ministry of Justice
Case number
SC 139/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Court of Appeal (Civil) Rules 2005, r 43 – Whether the Notice of Abandonment issued by the Court of Appeal was wrong and a nullity – Whether the Court of Appeal’s Minute dated 31 July 2014 inviting the applicant to apply for an extension of time to appeal was wrong on the facts and in law.[2014] NZCA 556 CA 314/2013
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500 and reasonable disbursements as fixed by the Registrar.
10 March 2015
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500 and reasonable disbursements as fixed by the Registrar.
10 March 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Michael Christopher Cruickshank v The Queen
Case number
SC 140/2014
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the trial Judge misdirected the jury as to the state of the applicant’s knowledge of whether the medical certificate was accurate – Whether the trial Court had jurisdiction to determine loss or abatement of entitlement in light of the Accident Compensation Act 2001, section 133(5) – Whether there was a sufficient evidential foundation for an award of reparation[2014] NZCA 574 CA 367/2014
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
31 March 2015
31 March 2015
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Ngāti Wāhiao v Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu Me Ngāti Te Kahu O Ngāti Whakaue
Case number
SC 141/2014
Summary
Civil Appeal – Arbitration Act 1996, Whether there was any credible basis for the Court of Appeal to find, if it did so find, that the arbitral tribunal misunderstood its task – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its approach to the leave requirements of cl 5 of the Second Schedule to the Arbitration Act.[2014] NZCA 592 CA 592/2014
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B We make no award of costs.
15 May 2015
B We make no award of costs.
15 May 2015
Transcripts
- Hearing date : 1 April 2015 (PDF, 433 KB)
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Ranjit Keshvara v David Murray Blanchett & Grant Edward Burns as liquidators of APG Holdings Limited (in liquidation)
Case number
SC 1/2013
Summary
Civil Appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 19(1) – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to hold that it was not necessary for a Court to hear evidence as to the particular circumstances giving rise to the supply of information used for the composition of business records before a Court can rule on admissibility of hearsay statements contained in those business records. [2012] NZCA 553 CA 665/2011
Dates
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
The applicant is to pay to the respondents costs of $2,500 plus all reasonable disbursements to be fixed if necessary by the Registrar.
21 March 2013.
Case name
Vincent Ross Siemer v Michael Peter Stiassney and Korda Mentha
Case number
SC 2/2013
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the registrar’s refusal to dispense with security for costs on the basis that it relied on incorrect evidence, was based on the Judge’s predeterminations regarding the merits of the case, and unjustly restricts the applicant’ s access to the court.CA 362/2012
Dates
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
Costs to the respondent $2,500 plus reasonable disbursements,
7 March 2012.
Application for recall of judgment dismissed.
26 March 2013.
Second application for recall of judgment dismissed.
11 April 2013.
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