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.
4 September 2026
Case information summary (as at 4 September 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 116 KB)
Case information summary (as at 4 September 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 132 KB)
All years
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in the answers the Court gave to the questions of law before the Court.
9 May 2024__________________________________________________________________A We answer the questions of law as follows: copyrights are property for purposes of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 and they may be relationship property.
B The appeal is dismissed. We direct that the proceeding be remitted to the Family Court to decide the value and distribution or sale of the artworks and copyrights in them.
C The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $15,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
6 March 2025
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Appellant Submissions (PDF, 435 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Respondent Submissions (PDF, 378 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Appellant oral outline (PDF, 249 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Respondent oral outline (PDF, 143 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 (PDF, 546 KB)
- Hearing date 24 October 2024 Case Synopsis (PDF, 318 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 9 (PDF, 438 KB)
- SC 22/2024 Sirpa Elise Alalääkkölä v Paul Anthony Palmer (Recorded, 24 October 2024)
B The application for recall of this Court’s minute of 29 August 2024 is dismissed.
C The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
D The applicant must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
1 November 2024
_____________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 1 November 2024 (Deliu v Attorney-General [2024] NZSC 147) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
C The Registrar is directed not to accept for filing any further recall applications relating to this matter.
22 November 2024
B The applicant must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
30 July 2024
B The application for leave to adduce further evidence is dismissed.
C The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
D There is no order as to costs.
30 July 2024
B We make an order prohibiting publication of this judgment until 2.00 pm on 22 October 2024.
8 October 2024
B The applicant must pay the second, third and fourth respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
24 October 2024
_________________________________________
The application for recall is dismissed.
19 December 2024_________________________________________A The application for recall is dismissed.
B The Registrar is instructed not to accept any further application related to this matter. 20 February 2025
Criminal Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Tamihere v R [2024] NZCA 300).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct not to exercise its jurisdiction under s 406(1)(a) of the Crimes Act 1961 to quash Mr Tamihere’s convictions.
20 December 2024
__________________________________________________
A The application to adduce further evidence is dismissed.
B The appeal is allowed.
C We exercise the Court’s jurisdiction under s 406(1)(a) of the Crimes Act 1961 to quash Mr Tamihere’s convictions. We make an order directing a retrial.
D Order redacting paragraphs [49]–[61], [79]–[120], [147]– [161], [163]–[164] and [167]–[170] from the judgment delivered on 31 March 2026.
E Order prohibiting publication of the unredacted version of the judgment pending final disposition of retrial.
31 March 2026
- Hearing date 18 - 20 August 2025 Case Synopsis (PDF, 471 KB)
- MR [2026] NZSC 22 (PDF, 285 KB)
B The applicants must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
6 November 2024
14 November 2024
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
8 October 2024
_______________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 8 October 2024 (Nicolson v Lowther [2024] NZSC 135) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
6 December 2024