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 Emma Marion Gibbs
Case number
SC 22/2023
Summary
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
5 April 2023
Result
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
High Court decision
Gibbs v NZ Law Society [2014] NZHC 1141 [27 May 2014]
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TANYA FELICITY DUNSTAN v EMMA MARION GIBBS [2023] NZSC 29 [5 April 2023] (PDF, 38 KB)
Case name
Elizabeth Maria Bolea v The King
Case number
SC 25/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Bolea v R [2023] NZCA 39).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
22 June 2023
__________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The conviction for participating in an organised criminal group is quashed.
C The application for a discharge without conviction is remitted to the High Court for reconsideration.
3 May 2024
Date of hearing
31 October 2023
Judges
Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Media Releases
High Court decision
R v BOLEA [2022] NZHC 2998 [16 November 2022]
Court of Appeal decision
BOLEA v THE KING [2023] NZCA 39 [6 March 2023]
Leave judgment - leave granted
ELIZABETH MARIA BOLEA v R [2023] NZSC 72 [22 June 2023] (PDF, 130 KB)
Substantive judgment
ELIZABETH MARIA BOLEA v R [2024] NZSC 46 [3 May 2024] (PDF, 301 KB)
Case name
Jesse Shane Kempson v The King
Case number
SC 37/2023
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 deemed to be dismissed. 22 September 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
JESSE SHANE KEMPSON v R [2023] NZCA 78 [27 March 2023]
Case name
Philip William Routhan and Julie Veronica Routhan as Trustees of the Kaniere Family Trust v PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited
Case number
SC 45/2023
Summary

Civil Appeal and Cross-Appeal
Result

A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to cross-appeal is granted.
B Leave to appeal and cross-appeal is granted in part (PGG Wrightson Real Estate Ltd v Routhan [2023] NZCA 123).
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in varying the damages awarded in the High Court.
D The applications for leave to appeal and cross-appeal are otherwise dismissed.
22 September 2023
____________________________________________________________________________________________

A The appeal is allowed. We fix damages payable by the respondent at $780,500, with interest as specified at [234].
B The cross-appeal is dismissed.
C The respondent must pay the appellants one set of costs of $50,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.                                                          
26 June 2025
Date of hearing
11 March 2024 - 12 March 2024
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, Ellen France, Kós and Miller JJ | Venue: Christchurch High Court Courtroom 12
Submissions from counsel
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Media Releases
High Court decision
ROUTHAN v PGG WRIGHTSON REAL ESTATE LIMITED [2021] NZHC 3585 [21 December 2021]
Court of Appeal decision
PGG WRIGHTSON REAL ESTATE LTD v ROUTHAN [2023] NZCA 123 [24 April 2023]
Leave judgment - leave granted
ROUTHAN v PGG WRIGHTSON REAL ESTATE LIMITED [2023] NZSC 127 [22 September 2023] (PDF, 201 KB)
Substantive judgment
ROUTHAN AND ANOR AS TRUSTEES OF THE KANIERE FAMILY TRUST v PGG WRIGHTSON REAL ESTATE LIMITED [2025] NZSC 68 [26 June 2025] (PDF, 1017 KB)
Videos
Case name
Mahia Tamiefuna v The King
Case number
SC 51/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The appeal is allowed. The conviction is quashed.
B A retrial is ordered.
C We make an 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 is permitted.
Submissions from counsel
Transcripts
High Court decision
[2021] NZHC 2880
Court of Appeal decision
[2023] NZCA 163
Substantive judgment
TAMIEFUNA v R [2025] NZSC 40 [16 April 2025] (PDF, 798 KB)
Case name
D (SC 53/2023) v N (SC 53/2023) and Ors
Case number
SC 53/2023
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 costs of $500 to the New Zealand Law Society (the first respondent in CA452/2022).
28 July 2023
Court of Appeal decision
[2023] NZCA 193
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
D (SC 53/2023) v N (SC 53/2023) AND OTHERS [2023] NZSC 94 [28 July 2023] (PDF, 163 KB)
Case name
H (SC 54/2023) v The King
Case number
SC 54/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
8 September 2023
Court of Appeal decision
H (CA308/2022) v R [2023] NZCA 135 [2 May 2023]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
H (SC 54/2023) v R [2023] NZSC 120 [8 September 2023] (PDF, 161 KB)
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v Judicial Conduct Commissioner
Case number
SC 55/2023
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. 21 July 2023
High Court decision
O’NEILL v RITCHIE [2022] NZHC 1225 [30 May 2022]
Court of Appeal decision
[2023] NZCA 152
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH O’NEILL v JUDICIAL CONDUCT COMMISSIONER [2023] NZSC 88 [21 July 2023] (PDF, 143 KB)
Case name
K v The King
Case number
SC 59/2023
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 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.
10 September 2024
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v Bank of New Zealand and Eddie (Whetū) Rangi
Case number
SC 62/2023
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 respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
26 July 2023
____________________________________________________________________________

A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 26 July 2023 (Dunstan v Bank of New Zealand [2023] NZSC 89) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
22 August 2023
High Court decision
DUNSTAN v BANK OF NEW ZEALAND [2023] NZHC 200 [16 February 2023]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TANYA FELICITY DUNSTAN v BANK OF NEW ZEALAND [2023] NZSC 89 [26 July 2023] (PDF, 210 KB)
Supreme court decision
Recall dismissed - TANYA FELICITY DUNSTAN v BANK OF NEW ZEALAND [2023] NZSC 110 [22 August 2023] (PDF, 211 KB)
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