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
Steven Robertson v The Queen
Case number
SC 23/2021
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal.
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
10 May 2021
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
10 May 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
STEVEN ROBERTSON v R [2021] NZSC 40 [10 May 2021] (PDF, 153 KB)
Case name
Yingqiu Zhang v Westpac New Zealand Limited
Case number
SC 24/2021
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.
21 May 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
21 May 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated v New Zealand Transport Agency
Case number
SC 25/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal to this Court is granted (Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc v New Zealand Transport Agency [2021] NZHC 390).
B The approved question is whether the High Court was correct to dismiss the appeal against the decision of the Board of Inquiry.
28 May 2021
__________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The matter is remitted to the Board of Inquiry for reconsideration in line with the terms of this judgment.
C Costs are reserved.
11 April 2024
B The approved question is whether the High Court was correct to dismiss the appeal against the decision of the Board of Inquiry.
28 May 2021
__________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The matter is remitted to the Board of Inquiry for reconsideration in line with the terms of this judgment.
C Costs are reserved.
11 April 2024
Date of hearing
16 November 2021
- 18 November 2021
Judges
CJ Winkelmann, Young, Glazebrook, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 16 - 18 November 2021 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 16 - 18 November (PDF, 425 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2024] NZSC 26 (PDF, 288 KB)
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
Helilogging Limited (In receivership and liquidation) And Anor v Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
Case number
SC 26/2021
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.
27 May 2021
B The applicants must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
27 May 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Razdan Rafiq v Attorney-General
Case number
SC 27/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $1,500.
16 June 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $1,500.
16 June 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Ian Bruce Hyndman v Robert Bruce Walker
Case number
SC 28/2021
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.
9 June 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
9 June 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
C v The Queen
Case number
SC 29/2021
Summary
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 retrial. 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. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
Date of hearing
05 November 2021
Judges
William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Mark McKinney v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 30/2021
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application to adduce evidence in support of the application is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
21 June 2021
_______________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 21 June 2021 (McKinney v New Zealand Police [2021] NZSC 68) is dismissed.
25 March 2022
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
21 June 2021
_______________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 21 June 2021 (McKinney v New Zealand Police [2021] NZSC 68) is dismissed.
25 March 2022
District Court decision
Not publicly available
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Poutama Kaitiaki Charitable Trust and D & T Pascoe v Taranaki Regional Council, New Plymouth District Council and New Zealand Transport Agency
Case number
SC 31/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicants must pay three sets of costs: $500 jointly to the first and second respondents, $2,500 to the third respondent and $1,500 to the interested party.
15 July 2021
_____________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 15 July 2021 (Poutama Kaitiaki Charitable Trust v Taranaki Regional Council [2021] NZSC 87) is allowed only to make the changes identified at [2] below.
B The [2021] NZSC 87 judgment is reissued with these changes.
23 September 2021
____________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 15 July 2021 (Poutama Kaitiaki Charitable Trust v Taranaki Regional Council [2021] NZSC 87) as reissued on 23 September 2021 is dismissed.
8 November 2021
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicants must pay three sets of costs: $500 jointly to the first and second respondents, $2,500 to the third respondent and $1,500 to the interested party.
15 July 2021
_____________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 15 July 2021 (Poutama Kaitiaki Charitable Trust v Taranaki Regional Council [2021] NZSC 87) is allowed only to make the changes identified at [2] below.
B The [2021] NZSC 87 judgment is reissued with these changes.
23 September 2021
____________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 15 July 2021 (Poutama Kaitiaki Charitable Trust v Taranaki Regional Council [2021] NZSC 87) as reissued on 23 September 2021 is dismissed.
8 November 2021
High Court decision
Recall judgment
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Shane Dromgool, Dorothy Dromgool, Alan Darvall Poulton, Jennifer Poulton and Newman Farms Limited v Minister for Land Information
Case number
SC 32/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted in part (Minister for Land Information v Dromgool [2021] NZCA 44). The approved question is:
Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in its interpretation of the role and obligations of the Minister for Land Information in deciding an application under s 186(1) of the Resource Management Act 1991 and, in particular, whether the Minister must be satisfied that the proposed taking is fair, sound and reasonably necessary for achieving the objectives of the network utility operator or whether it is sufficient that the Minister is satisfied the proposed taking is capable of meeting that test.
B The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.
24 June 2021
__________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements.
22 December 2022
Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in its interpretation of the role and obligations of the Minister for Land Information in deciding an application under s 186(1) of the Resource Management Act 1991 and, in particular, whether the Minister must be satisfied that the proposed taking is fair, sound and reasonably necessary for achieving the objectives of the network utility operator or whether it is sufficient that the Minister is satisfied the proposed taking is capable of meeting that test.
B The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.
24 June 2021
__________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements.
22 December 2022
Date of hearing
22 March 2022
Judges
Winkelman CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 22 March 2022 (PDF, 588 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2022] NZSC 157 (PDF, 202 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
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