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
W (SC 14/2021) v The Queen
Case number
SC 14/2021
Summary
Criminal 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.
25 May 2022
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
25 May 2022
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
W (SC 14/2021) v R [2022] NZSC 66 [25 May 2022] (PDF, 50 KB)
Case name
Tourism Holdings Limited v A Labour Inspector of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Case number
SC 15/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (A Labour Inspector of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment v Tourism Holdings Ltd [2021] NZCA 1).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal correctly answered the questions of law submitted for determination by it.
6 May 2021
___________________________________________________________
A We amend the answer given by the Court of Appeal to the first of the questions submitted for determination by that Court so that it reads:
Payments are “a regular part of the employee’s pay” if they are of a kind made regularly when assessed against the standard of a four-week period.
That apart, the appeal is dismissed.
B The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $15,000 plus usual disbursements.
15 November 2021
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal correctly answered the questions of law submitted for determination by it.
6 May 2021
___________________________________________________________
A We amend the answer given by the Court of Appeal to the first of the questions submitted for determination by that Court so that it reads:
Payments are “a regular part of the employee’s pay” if they are of a kind made regularly when assessed against the standard of a four-week period.
That apart, the appeal is dismissed.
B The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $15,000 plus usual disbursements.
15 November 2021
Date of hearing
01 July 2021
Judges
William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 1 July 2021 (PDF, 391 KB)
Media Releases
- MR 2021 NZSC 157 (PDF, 250 KB)
Employment Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
P v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 16/2021
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 retrial. 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 retrial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Chesterfield Preschools Limited (In Liquidation) and Therese Anne Sisson v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 17/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B The application for leave to adduce further evidence is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay costs of $3,000 to the Commissioner and $1,500 to Chesterfields Preschools Ltd (in liq) plus usual disbursements.
12 July 2021
_________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 12 July 2021 (Chesterfields Preschools Ltd (in liq) v
Commissioner of Inland Revenue [2021] NZSC 83) is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay costs of $500 to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue.
8 October 2021
B The application for leave to adduce further evidence is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay costs of $3,000 to the Commissioner and $1,500 to Chesterfields Preschools Ltd (in liq) plus usual disbursements.
12 July 2021
_________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 12 July 2021 (Chesterfields Preschools Ltd (in liq) v
Commissioner of Inland Revenue [2021] NZSC 83) is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay costs of $500 to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue.
8 October 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Liansen Mao v Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (New Zealand) Limited and Qian Hou
Case number
SC 22/2021
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 respondents costs of $2,500.
31 May 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
31 May 2021
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Shane Dromgool, Dorothy Dromgool, Alan Darvall Poulton, Jennifer Poulton and Newman Farms Limited v Minister for Land Information
Case number
SC 32/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted in part (Minister for Land Information v Dromgool [2021] NZCA 44). The approved question is:
Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in its interpretation of the role and obligations of the Minister for Land Information in deciding an application under s 186(1) of the Resource Management Act 1991 and, in particular, whether the Minister must be satisfied that the proposed taking is fair, sound and reasonably necessary for achieving the objectives of the network utility operator or whether it is sufficient that the Minister is satisfied the proposed taking is capable of meeting that test.
B The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.
24 June 2021
__________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements.
22 December 2022
Whether the Court of Appeal was correct in its interpretation of the role and obligations of the Minister for Land Information in deciding an application under s 186(1) of the Resource Management Act 1991 and, in particular, whether the Minister must be satisfied that the proposed taking is fair, sound and reasonably necessary for achieving the objectives of the network utility operator or whether it is sufficient that the Minister is satisfied the proposed taking is capable of meeting that test.
B The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.
24 June 2021
__________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements.
22 December 2022
Date of hearing
22 March 2022
Judges
Winkelman CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 22 March 2022 (PDF, 588 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2022] NZSC 157 (PDF, 202 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
A Lawyer v New Zealand Law Society and Wellington Standards Committee No 2
Case number
SC 34/2021
Summary
Civil / Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
30 June 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
30 June 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Rihari Chance Matthew Biddle v The Queen
Case number
SC 35/2021
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
19 July 2021
_______________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 19 July 2021
(Biddle v R [2021] NZSC 89) is dismissed.
7 October 2021
19 July 2021
_______________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 19 July 2021
(Biddle v R [2021] NZSC 89) is dismissed.
7 October 2021
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Jordan Mathew Thacker v The Queen
Case number
SC 36/2021
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
19 July 2021
19 July 2021
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Georgina Rachelle v Tim Cadogan, Lyne McFarlane and Bern Scurr
Case number
SC 37/2021
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.
11 May 2021
B There is no order as to costs.
11 May 2021
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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