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.
12 December 2025
Case information summary 2025 (as at 18 December 2025) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 18 December 2025) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 121 KB)
All years
Case name
Shane Keith Bullock v The King
Case number
SC 14/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
7 August 2024
7 August 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHANE KEITH BULLOCK v R [2024] NZSC 96 [7 August 2024 (PDF, 204 KB)
Case name
John Kenneth Slavich v Wellington District Court and Attorney-General
Case number
SC 15/2024
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for review is declined.
16 April 2024
____________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 16 April 2024 (Slavich v Wellington District Court [2024] NZSC 30) is dismissed.
29 April 2024
16 April 2024
____________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 16 April 2024 (Slavich v Wellington District Court [2024] NZSC 30) is dismissed.
29 April 2024
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Peter Morrison Strange (AKA Peter Morrison Petryszick) v Casey Farms Limited, Brosna Farms Limited, JOTAC Limited, W G Broadbent & Co Trustees Limited and PB and BL Casey Partnership
Case number
SC 16/2024
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 second, third and fifth respondents one set of costs of $1,250 and the fourth respondent costs of $1,250.
30 April 2024
B The applicant must pay the second, third and fifth respondents one set of costs of $1,250 and the fourth respondent costs of $1,250.
30 April 2024
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
David Ian Henderson v Attorney-General of New Zealand
Case number
SC 17/2024
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.
29 May 2024
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
29 May 2024
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
M (SC 18/2024) v Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 18/2024
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.
21 March 2024
21 March 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Terrence McFarland v Commissioner of Police
Case number
SC 19/2024
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.
30 July 2024
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
30 July 2024
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Chief of Defence Force, Chief People Officer and Attorney-General v Four Members of the Armed Forces
Case number
SC 20/2024
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Four Members of the Armed Forces v Chief of Defence Force [2024] NZCA 17).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
8 July 2024
________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The Court of Appeal’s order that the Temporary Defence Force Order 06/2022 (TDFO) be reconsidered is set aside, as is the Court of Appeal’s interim order that no action may be taken by the Chief of Defence Force pursuant to the TDFO and related instruments pending the reconsideration of the TDFO.
C The respondents must pay the appellants one set of costs of $30,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
11 April 2025
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
8 July 2024
________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The Court of Appeal’s order that the Temporary Defence Force Order 06/2022 (TDFO) be reconsidered is set aside, as is the Court of Appeal’s interim order that no action may be taken by the Chief of Defence Force pursuant to the TDFO and related instruments pending the reconsideration of the TDFO.
C The respondents must pay the appellants one set of costs of $30,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
11 April 2025
Date of hearing
08 October 2024
Judges
Glazebrook, Ellen France, Williams, Kos and Miller JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 8 October 2024 Appellant Submissions (PDF, 764 KB)
- Hearing date 8 October 2024 Respondent Submissions (PDF, 1.9 MB)
- Hearing date 8 October 2024 Intervener Submissions (PDF, 1004 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 8 October 2024 Transcript (PDF, 591 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 8 9 October 2024 Case Synopsis (PDF, 364 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2025] NZSC 34 (PDF, 292 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Videos
- SC 20/2024 Chief of Defence Force and Ors v Four Members of the Armed Forces (Recorded, 8 October 2024)
Case name
Rex Malcolm Poole v The King
Case number
SC 21/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A An extension of time to make the application for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
18 June 2024
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
18 June 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
REX MALCOLM POOLE v R [2024] NZSC 67 [18 June 2024] (PDF, 183 KB)
Case name
Sirpa Elise Alalääkkölä v Paul Anthony Palmer
Case number
SC 22/2024
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Alalääkkölä v Palmer [2024] NZCA 24).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in the answers the Court gave to the questions of law before the Court.
9 May 2024__________________________________________________________________A We answer the questions of law as follows: copyrights are property for purposes of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 and they may be relationship property.
B The appeal is dismissed. We direct that the proceeding be remitted to the Family Court to decide the value and distribution or sale of the artworks and copyrights in them.
C The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $15,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
6 March 2025
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in the answers the Court gave to the questions of law before the Court.
9 May 2024__________________________________________________________________A We answer the questions of law as follows: copyrights are property for purposes of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 and they may be relationship property.
B The appeal is dismissed. We direct that the proceeding be remitted to the Family Court to decide the value and distribution or sale of the artworks and copyrights in them.
C The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $15,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
6 March 2025
Date of hearing
24 October 2024
Judges
Ellen France, Williams, Kós, Miller and O'Regan JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Appellant Submissions (PDF, 435 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Respondent Submissions (PDF, 378 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Appellant oral outline (PDF, 249 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Respondent oral outline (PDF, 143 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 (PDF, 546 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Case Synopsis (PDF, 318 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2025] NZSC 9 (PDF, 438 KB)
Substantive judgment
ALALÄÄKKÖLÄ v PALMER [2025] NZSC 9 [6 March 2025] (PDF, 245 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Videos
- SC 22/2024 Sirpa Elise Alalääkkölä v Paul Anthony Palmer (Recorded, 24 October 2024)
Case name
Francisc Catalin Deliu v Solicitor-General
Case number
SC 23/2024
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.
26 July 2024
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
26 July 2024
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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