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 May 2026
Case information summary (as at 8 May 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 89 KB)
Case information summary (as at 8 May 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 127 KB)
All years
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
A The application for leave to amend the leave application is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
2 July 2025
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 DISPOSITON OF RETRIAL. PUBLICAITON IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
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 DISPOSITON OF RETRIAL. PUBLICAITON IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
Criminal Appeal
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 RETRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
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 RETRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
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 RETRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
Civil Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Chief Executive of Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment v Hairland Holdings Ltd [2025] NZCA 219).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal on the basis that the Employment Relations Authority does not have jurisdiction to hear an application, brought by a purported employer against the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Labour Inspector and/or its workers, for a bare declaration that its workers are not employees under s 6(1) of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
1 October 2025
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Appellant's submissions (PDF, 283 KB)
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Respondent's submissions (PDF, 459 KB)
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Transcript (PDF, 332 KB)
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Case Synopsis (PDF, 444 KB)
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 IS PERMITTED.
ORDER PROHIBITING PUBLICATION OF THE JUDGMENT 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.
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 IS PERMITTED.
ORDER PROHIBITING PUBLICATION OF THE JUDGMENT 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.
Civil appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Civil appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
PURSUANT TO S 182 OF THE FAMILY VIOLENCE ACT 2018, ANY REPORT OF THIS PROCEEDING MUST COMPLY WITH SS 11B, 11C AND 11D OF THE FAMILY COURT ACT 1980. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE https://www.justice.govt.nz/family/family-court/after-the-family-court/restrictions-on-publishing-information/
23 September 2025