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 Thompson v The King
Case number
SC 23/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is dismissed.
17 May 2023
17 May 2023
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHANE THOMPSON v R [2023] NZSC 59 [17 May 2023] (PDF, 169 KB)
Case name
S (SC 24/2023) v Attorney-General and District Court at Auckland
Case number
SC 24/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
18 July 2023
________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 18 July 2023 (S (SC 24/2023) v Attorney-General [2023] NZSC 86) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
23 August 2023
B There is no order as to costs.
18 July 2023
________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 18 July 2023 (S (SC 24/2023) v Attorney-General [2023] NZSC 86) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
23 August 2023
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Supreme court decision
Case name
Elizabeth Maria Bolea v The King
Case number
SC 25/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Bolea v R [2023] NZCA 39).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
22 June 2023
__________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The conviction for participating in an organised criminal group is quashed.
C The application for a discharge without conviction is remitted to the High Court for reconsideration.
3 May 2024
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
22 June 2023
__________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The conviction for participating in an organised criminal group is quashed.
C The application for a discharge without conviction is remitted to the High Court for reconsideration.
3 May 2024
Date of hearing
31 October 2023
Judges
Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 31 October 2023 Appellant submissions (PDF, 2.4 MB)
- Hearing date 31 October 2023 Respondent submissions (PDF, 401 KB)
- Hearing date 31 October 2023 Respondent Oral Outline (PDF, 157 KB)
- Hearing date 31 October 2023 Appellant Oral Outline (PDF, 204 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 31 October 2023 SC 25_2023 (PDF, 442 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 31 October 2023 (PDF, 444 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2024] NZSC 46 (PDF, 539 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
ELIZABETH MARIA BOLEA v R [2023] NZSC 72 [22 June 2023] (PDF, 130 KB)
Substantive judgment
ELIZABETH MARIA BOLEA v R [2024] NZSC 46 [3 May 2024] (PDF, 301 KB)
Case name
B (SC 26/2023) v C (SC 26/2023)
Case number
SC 26/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application to adduce new evidence in this Court is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 May 2023
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 May 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Raymond John Belsey v The King
Case number
SC 27/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is dismissed. 26 June 2023
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
RAYMOND JOHN BELSEY v R [2023] NZSC 75 [26 June 2023] (PDF, 154 KB)
Case name
Cresswell v Roberts
Case number
SC 28/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The applications for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal Roberts v Cresswell [2022] NZCA 625 and the Court of Appeal’s decision declining the application to adjourn the substantive hearing are dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal (Roberts v Cresswell [2023] NZCA 36) is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
25 May 2023
B The application for leave to appeal (Roberts v Cresswell [2023] NZCA 36) is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
25 May 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CRESSWELL v ROBERTS [2023] NZSC 62 [25 May 2023] (PDF, 214 KB)
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
_______________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
20 December 2024
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the applicant’s appeal to that Court.
3 July 2023
_______________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
20 December 2024
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)
Media Releases
- MR [2024] NZSC 181 (PDF, 310 KB)
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
COOPER v PINNEY [2024] NZSC 181 [20 December 2024] (PDF, 582 KB)
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)
Page 35 of 270