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.

5 June 2026

Case information summary (as at 5 June 2026) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 89 KB)
Case information summary (as at 5 June 2026)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 124 KB) 

All years

Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v Attorney-General
Case number
SC 63/2023
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. 27 July 2023
High Court decision
[2022] NZHC 3319
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TANYA FELICITY DUNSTAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2023] NZSC 92 [27 July 2023] (PDF, 171 KB)
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v Attorney-General, District Court at Manukau and JDN
Case number
SC 65/2023
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 first respondent costs of $2,500.
9 August 2023
_______________________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 9 August 2023 (Dunstan v Attorney-General [2023] NZSC 100) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
22 August 2023
High Court decision
DUNSTAN v DISTRICT COURT AT MANUKAU [2021] NZHC 311 [26 February 2021]
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TANYA FELICITY DUNSTAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2023] NZSC 100 [9 August 2023] (PDF, 156 KB)
Supreme court decision
Recall dismissed - TANYA FELICITY DUNSTAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2023] NZSC 109 [22 August 2023] (PDF, 188 KB)
Case name
A (SC 72/2023) v Attorney-General
Case number
SC 72/2023
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 granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C There is no award as to costs.
1 November 2023
High Court decision
A v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2020] NZHC 3401 [17 December 2020]
Court of Appeal decision
A (CA41/2021) v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2023] NZCA 166 [12 May 2023]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
A (SC 72/2023) v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2023] NZSC 144 [1 November 2023 (PDF, 157 KB)
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan
Case number
SC 73/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The Auckland High Court is removed as a respondent.
31 July 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TANYA FELICITY DUNSTAN [2023] NZSC 96 [31 July 2023] (PDF, 118 KB)
Case name
H (SC 74/2023) v The King
Case number
SC 74/2023
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 abandoned
14 August 2025
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Danny John Cancian v Tauranga City Council
Case number
SC 75/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 September 2023
High Court decision
CANCIAN v TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL [2022] NZHC 556 [28 March 2022]
Court of Appeal decision
CANCIAN v TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL [2023] NZCA 257 [26 June 2023]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DANNY JOHN CANCIAN v TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL [2023] NZSC 125 [19 September 2023] (PDF, 154 KB)
Case name
W v Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 85/2023
Summary
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 permitted.
Result
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 permitted.
5 October 2022
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Sandy Zhujun Dai v Professional Conduct Committee of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants
Case number
SC 89/2023
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.
22 April 2024
_______________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 22 April 2024 (Dai v Professional Conduct Committee of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants [2024] NZSC 38) is dismissed.
B The application for review of the Registrar’s decision not to accept for filing a second application for leave is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
6 September 2024
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
DAI v PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT COMMITTEE OF THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS [2023] NZCA 132 [28 April 2023]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SANDY ZHUJUN DAI v PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT COMMITTEE OF THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS [2024] NZSC 38 [22 April 2024 (PDF, 169 KB)
Recall judgment
SANDY ZHUJUN DAI v PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT COMMITTEE OF THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS [2024] NZSC 109 [6 September 2024] (PDF, 193 KB)
Supreme court decision
Application for review of registrar's decision: DAI [2024] NZSC 131 [2 October 2024] (PDF, 180 KB)
Case name
K (SC 91/2023) v The King
Case number
SC 91/2023
Summary
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 permitted.
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Brian Joseph Linehan, Shannon James Walsh and Ross Douglas Blair as trustees of the Eliza Trust v Thames-Coromandel District Council
Case number
SC 92/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicants must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
10 November 2023
High Court decision
LINEHAN v THAMES COROMANDEL DISTRICT COUNCIL [2021] NZHC 3234 [29 November 2021]
Court of Appeal decision
LINEHAN v THAMES-COROMANDEL DISTRICT COUNCIL [2023] NZCA 288 [12 July 2023]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BRIAN JOSEPH LINEHAN v THAMES-COROMANDEL DISTRICT COUNCIL [2023] NZSC 149 [10 November 2023] (PDF, 183 KB)
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