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.

28 November 2025

Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 120 KB)

All years

Case name
Christine Marama Cowan and Te Rahui Cowan v John Arthur Cowan and Kurt Thomas Gibbons
Case number
SC 33/2022
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 against the first Court of Appeal judgment is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
6 May 2022
High Court decision
COWAN v COWAN [2021] NZHC 208 [19 February 2021]
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Christine Marama Cowan and Te Rahui John Cowan v John Arthur Cowan, Kurt Thomas Gibbons and 170 Queens Drive Limited.
Case number
SC 130/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Cowan v Cowan [2021] NZCA 463).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal to that Court.
20 December 2021
___________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
12 April 2022
Date of hearing
15 February 2022
Judges
Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France, Williams, JJ
Transcripts
Media Releases
High Court decision
COWAN v COWAN [2021] NZHC 1291 [2 June 2021]
Court of Appeal decision
COWAN v COWAN [2021] NZCA 463 [10 September 2021]
Leave judgment - leave granted
CHRISTINE MARAMA COWAN v JOHN ARTHUR COWAN [2021] NZSC 185 [20 December 2021] (PDF, 164 KB)
Substantive judgment
CHRISTINE MARAMA COWAN v JOHN ARTHUR COWAN [2022] NZSC 43 [12 April 2022] (PDF, 177 KB)