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
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 29/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The application for recusal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
17 May 2023
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 17 May 2023 (Dunstan v New Zealand Police [2023] NZSC 58) is dismissed.
21 June 2023
B The application for recusal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
17 May 2023
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 17 May 2023 (Dunstan v New Zealand Police [2023] NZSC 58) is dismissed.
21 June 2023
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Zhong Xing v Jicai Li and Fang Yu and Ors
Case number
SC 30/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 June 2023
______________________________________________________________
The applicant must pay the first to seventeenth and nineteenth respondents one set of costs of $1,000. 19 July 2023
19 June 2023
______________________________________________________________
The applicant must pay the first to seventeenth and nineteenth respondents one set of costs of $1,000. 19 July 2023
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Supreme court decision
Case name
James Hay Wallace and McLean's Mansion Charitable Trust v The King
Case number
SC 31/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A) The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B) Order continuing suppression of the applicants’ names, addresses, occupations and any identifying particulars on the terms set out at [15] until 2 pm on 28 June 2023.
Suppression will lapse at that time.
26 June 2023
B) Order continuing suppression of the applicants’ names, addresses, occupations and any identifying particulars on the terms set out at [15] until 2 pm on 28 June 2023.
Suppression will lapse at that time.
26 June 2023
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JAMES HAY WALLACE v R [2023] NZSC 74 [26 June 2023] (PDF, 176 KB)
Case name
Raewyn Phyllis Cooper v Marcus Robert William Pinney
Case number
SC 32/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Cooper v Pinney [2023] NZCA 62).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the applicant’s appeal to that Court.
3 July 2023
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the applicant’s appeal to that Court.
3 July 2023
Date of hearing
01 November 2023
- 02 November 2023
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Appellant Submissions (PDF, 451 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 Nov 2023 Appellant Chronology (PDF, 199 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Appellant oral outline (PDF, 167 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Respondent Submissions (PDF, 1 MB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Respondent Oral Outline (PDF, 246 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Interested Party Submissions (PDF, 292 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Interested Party Oral Outline (PDF, 358 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 1 - 2 November 2023 Transcript (PDF, 1 MB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 1 and 2 November 2023 (PDF, 452 KB)
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Videos
- SC 32/2023 Raewyn Phyllis Cooper v Marcus Robert William Pinney (Recorded, 2 November 2023)
- SC 32/2023 Raewyn Phyllis Cooper v Marcus Robert William Pinney (Recorded, 1 November 2023)
Case name
David Charles Rae v Commissioner of Police
Case number
SC 33/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s recall judgment (Rae v Commissioner of Police [2023] NZCA 38) is dismissed.
B The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s substantive judgment (Rae v Commissioner of Police [2023] NZCA 4) is granted.
C Leave to appeal is granted.
D The appeal is dismissed.
E There is no order as to costs.
30 November 2023
B The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s substantive judgment (Rae v Commissioner of Police [2023] NZCA 4) is granted.
C Leave to appeal is granted.
D The appeal is dismissed.
E There is no order as to costs.
30 November 2023
Date of hearing
12 October 2023
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 12 October 2023 Applicant submissions (PDF, 1 MB)
- Hearing date 12 October 2023 Respondent submissions (PDF, 554 KB)
- Hearing date 12 October 2023 Counsel to Assist Submissions (PDF, 238 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 12 October 2023 Trans 15 (PDF, 357 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 12 October 2023 Case Synopsis (PDF, 469 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2023] NZSC 156 (PDF, 325 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Court of Appeal decision
Supreme court decision
Videos
- SC 33/2023 David Charles Rae v Commissioner of New Zealand Police (Recorded, 12 October 2023)
Case name
Stephen Gilbert Anderson v NZI International Acceptances Limited, NZI Securities Limited and NZI Finances Limited
Case number
SC 34/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
31 May 2023
31 May 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Jiaxin Tu v The King
Case number
SC 35/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
23 February 2024
23 February 2024
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JIAXIN TU v R [2024] NZSC 15 [23 February 2024] (PDF, 165 KB)
Case name
Te Whānau a Kai Trust v Gisborne District Council
Case number
SC 36/2023
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 $2,500.
29 June 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
29 June 2023
Additional document
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Jesse Shane Kempson v The King
Case number
SC 37/2023
Summary
Criminal 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. 22 September 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Case name
Estate of Eric John Tupai Ruru and Alan Parekura Torohina Haronga v Attorney-General, Waitangi Tribunal, Tanya Rogers and David Brown, Owen Lloyd, David Thomas Hawea and Anthony Tapp
Case number
SC 38/2023
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 applicants must pay the first respondent one set of costs of $2,500.
5 July 2023
B The applicants must pay the first respondent one set of costs of $2,500.
5 July 2023
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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