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
Tuahuroa Tamati Cairns, Tohu Rangikauwhata Haa, Tauhopa Te Wano Hepi, Toriwai Rotarangi and Anthony Ralph Matara Rotarangi and Pouākani Claims Trust v Mercury NZ Limited, Māori Land Court, Attorney-General, Raukawa Settlement Trust and Te Kotahitanga O N
Case number
SC 44/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Case name
K, L, X and J v The King
Case number
SC 45/2026
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

A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.                                                            
B Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (excluding the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of trial. 
22 May 2026

High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan
Case number
SC 1/2025
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.
14 March 2025
Case name
Weng-Yuan Tsao v Yen Wei Chen and Kuei-Huan Chen
Case number
SC 2/2025
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.                                                                                              
27 March 2025
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
D (SC 3/2025) v Melissa Allan and Michael B T Turner
Case number
SC 3/2025
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.                                                                                                                  
04 April 2025
___________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 4 April 2025 (D (SC 3/2025) v Allan [2025] NZSC 29) is dismissed.
16 April 2025___________________________A    The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 16 April 2025 (D (SC 3/2025) v Allan [2025] NZSC 42) is dismissed.   
B    The Registrar is directed not to accept for filing any further applications in relation to this matter.
1 May 2025 
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Manu Iongi v The King
Case number
SC 19/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal 

Result

A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B Leave to appeal is granted in part (Iongi v R [2024] NZCA 522).
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal against conviction.
D The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.                                
03 July 2025
_______________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed. The conviction of Manu Iongi for manslaughter is quashed.
B Order made under ss 233(3)(a) and 241(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 that a judgment of acquittal be entered.
11 December 2025

Date of hearing
22 October 2025
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams, Kós and Miller JJ
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Media Releases
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
Robert Erwood v Graeme Edward Minchin and Anthony David Banbrook
Case number
SC 21/2025
Summary

Civil appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A    The application for an extension of time is dismissed.
B    Costs of $500 are awarded to the first respondent.                                                      
22 August 2025
____________________________________________________

The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 22 September 2025 (Erwood v Minchin [2025] NZSC 122) is dismissed.
20 November 2025

Case name
BW (SC 22/2025) v Commonwealth of Australia
Case number
SC 22/2025
Summary

Criminal Appeal 

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (Commonwealth of Australia v BW [2025] NZCA 8).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal and find that the High Court erred in law when it concluded it would be oppressive to extradite BW to Australia.
16 June 2025

Date of hearing
04 November 2025
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, Ellen France, Williams and Miller JJ
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Videos
Case name
M (SC 29/2025) v The King
Case number
SC 29/2025
Summary

ORDER PROHIBITING PUBLICATION OF THE JUDGMENT AND ANY PART OF THE PROCEEDINGS (EXCEPT THE RESULT AS SET OUT IN PARAGRAPH [32]) 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
A The application for leave to appeal is granted ([2025] NZCA 34).  The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to refuse the applicant continued interim name suppression until final disposition of the proceeding.
B We make an interim order continuing suppression of the applicant’s name, address, occupation and identifying particulars until further order of this Court.
________________________________________
A Leave to appeal is revoked (M (SC 29/2025) v R [2025] NZSC 86).
B The appeal hearing scheduled for 13 November 2025 is vacated.
C We make an interim order continuing suppression of the name, address, occupation and identifying particulars of the appellant on the terms and for the period specified below a [5]. 
10 November 2025
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave granted
Case name
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Incorporated v Climate Change Commission and Minister of Climate Change
Case number
SC 38/2025
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 December 2025