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.
8 November 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 8 November 2024) – Cases where leave granted (126 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 8 November 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 116 KB)
All years
Case name
Peter William Mawhinney v Auckland Council
Case number
SC 59/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to amend the application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
21 September 2021
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
21 September 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
H (SC 60/2021) v The Queen
Case number
SC 60/2021
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 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.
8 July 2021
8 July 2021
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Colin Craig v Rachel Joy MacGregor
Case number
SC 61/2021
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 September 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
9 September 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
C (SC 62/2021) v The Queen
Case number
SC 62/2021
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.minal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal.
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Skye Amber Renes v The Queen
Case number
SC 63/2021
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
20 May 2022
20 May 2022
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SKYE AMBER RENES v R [2022] NZSC 64 [20 May 2022] (PDF, 61 KB)
Case name
Melco Property Holdings (NZ) Limited v Anthony John Hall
Case number
SC 64/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Melco Property Holdings (NZ) 2012 Ltd v Hall [2021] NZCA 184).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
3 September 2021
________________________________________________________
A The application for leave to adduce new evidence (the email chain) is dismissed.
B The appeal is allowed. The decisions of the Court of Appeal and High Court refusing to sustain the caveat are set aside.
C Order made that caveat No. 11659182.1 lodged by Melco on 16 January 2020 over the title to the property at 5 Parliament Street, Lower Hutt (WN13A/124), not lapse.
D Costs are reserved.
06 May 2022
__________________________________________
A The respondent must pay the appellant costs in this Court of $22,500 plus usual disbursements.
B The costs award made in the Court of Appeal is quashed. The appellant is awarded costs in that Court on a band A basis together with usual disbursements.
C The appellant is awarded costs in the High Court on a 2B basis together with reasonable disbursements, to be fixed by the Registrar if necessary.
24 August 2022
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
3 September 2021
________________________________________________________
A The application for leave to adduce new evidence (the email chain) is dismissed.
B The appeal is allowed. The decisions of the Court of Appeal and High Court refusing to sustain the caveat are set aside.
C Order made that caveat No. 11659182.1 lodged by Melco on 16 January 2020 over the title to the property at 5 Parliament Street, Lower Hutt (WN13A/124), not lapse.
D Costs are reserved.
06 May 2022
__________________________________________
A The respondent must pay the appellant costs in this Court of $22,500 plus usual disbursements.
B The costs award made in the Court of Appeal is quashed. The appellant is awarded costs in that Court on a band A basis together with usual disbursements.
C The appellant is awarded costs in the High Court on a 2B basis together with reasonable disbursements, to be fixed by the Registrar if necessary.
24 August 2022
Date of hearing
23 February 2022
Judges
William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France, Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 23 February 2022 (PDF, 253 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2022] NZSC 60 (PDF, 232 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Supreme court decision
Supreme court decision
Supreme court decision
Case name
Creative Development Solutions Limited v Chorus New Zealand Limited
Case number
SC 65/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A Notice of Abandonment having been filed, the application for leave to appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
10 August 2021
10 August 2021
Case name
Cody Derek Martin v The Queen
Case number
SC 66/2021
Summary
Civil / Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 October 2021
15 October 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Gill Pizza Limited, Sandeep Singh, Jatinder Singh, Mandeep Singh and Malotia Limited v A Labour Inspector (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)
Case number
SC 67/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (A Labour Inspector (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) v Gill Pizza Ltd [2021] NZCA 192).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to conclude that the Employment Court erred in finding that, if a defendant asserts there is no employment relationship, the Labour Inspector must first seek a declaration of employment status from the Employment Court under s 6(5) of the Employment Relations Act 2000 before commencing or continuing a proceeding under s 228(1) of that Act.
12 August 2021
__________________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondent costs of $15,000 plus usual disbursements.
21 December 2021
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to conclude that the Employment Court erred in finding that, if a defendant asserts there is no employment relationship, the Labour Inspector must first seek a declaration of employment status from the Employment Court under s 6(5) of the Employment Relations Act 2000 before commencing or continuing a proceeding under s 228(1) of that Act.
12 August 2021
__________________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondent costs of $15,000 plus usual disbursements.
21 December 2021
Date of hearing
04 November 2021
Judges
Young, Glazebrook, O’Regan , Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 4 November 2021 (PDF, 257 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2021] NZSC 184 (PDF, 292 KB)
Employment Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
Vincent Ross Siemer V Auckland High Court and Matthew Simon Russell Palmer
Case number
SC 68/2021
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 respondents costs of $2,500.
21 September 2021
________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 20 September 2021 (Siemer v Auckland High Court [2021] NZSC 120) is dismissed.
21 October 2021
________________________________________________
The second application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 20 September 2021 (Siemer v Auckland High Court [2021] NZSC 120) is dismissed.
8 November 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
21 September 2021
________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 20 September 2021 (Siemer v Auckland High Court [2021] NZSC 120) is dismissed.
21 October 2021
________________________________________________
The second application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 20 September 2021 (Siemer v Auckland High Court [2021] NZSC 120) is dismissed.
8 November 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Recall judgment
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