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.
19 June 2026
Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 89 KB)
Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 126 KB)
All years
Criminal Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Tamati v R [2024] NZCA 113).
B The approved questions are as follows:
(a) whether errors by trial counsel may have occasioned a miscarriage of justice; and
(b) whether in the circumstances a reliability warning was required.
2 August 2024
________________________________________________
The appeal is dismissed.
03 July 2025
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Appellant submissions (PDF, 2.6 MB)
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Respondent submissions (PDF, 571 KB)
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Transcript (PDF, 402 KB)
- Hearing date 25 February 2025 Case Synopsis (PDF, 474 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 70 (PDF, 286 KB)
- SC 48/2024 Tristan Lee Tamati v The King (Recorded, 25 February 2025)
Civil Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Students for Climate Solutions Inc v Minister of Energy and Resources [2024] NZCA 152, [2024] 2 NZLR 822).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
24 February 2025
______________________________________________________
- Hearing date 6 May 2025 Appellant's submissions (PDF, 691 KB)
- Hearing date 6 May 2025 Respondent's submissions (PDF, 595 KB)
- Hearing date 6 May 2025 Intervener Submissions (PDF, 215 KB)
- Hearing date 19 November 2024 Transcript (PDF, 305 KB)
- Hearing date 6 May 2025 Transcript (PDF, 658 KB)
- Hearing date 6 May 2025 Case Synopsis (PDF, 487 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 197 (PDF, 293 KB)
- SC 55/2024 Climate Clinic Aotearoa Incorporated v Minister of Energy and Resources (Recorded, 6 May 2025)
Civil Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Zhou v Lassnig [2024] NZCA 177).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in its analysis under s 182 of the Family Proceedings Act 1980.
17 September 2024
_______________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed. The orders made by the Court of Appeal as to the resettlement of the Trust stand.
B The appellant must pay the first respondent costs of $30,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
15 September 2025
- Hearing date 4 March 2025 Appellant submissions (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Hearing date 4 March 2025 Respondent submissions (PDF, 388 KB)
- Hearing date 4 March 2025 Respondent oral outline (PDF, 213 KB)
- Hearing date 4 March 2025 transcript (PDF, 439 KB)
- Hearing date 4 March 2025 (PDF, 444 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 116 (PDF, 274 KB)
Criminal Appeal
A The application for leave to appeal is granted.
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
5 March 2026
- Hearing date 7 July 2026 Case Synopsis (PDF, 443 KB)
- Livestream Tuesday 7 July 2026 (Livestream, 7 July 2026)
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 respondents costs of $2,500.
20 December 2024
B The applicants must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
20 December 2024
Civil appeal - Application for leave to bring civil appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (T (SC 95/2024) v Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand [2024] NZCA 390).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
C Costs are reserved.
25 September 2024
_________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B We make an prohibiting publication of the name, address, occupation and identifying particulars of the appellant.
16 September 2025
9 October 2024
Civil Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Rasier Operations BV v E Tū Inc [2024] NZCA 403).
B The approved question is whether the four Uber drivers are employees in terms of s 6 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
19 December 2024
______________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondents one set of costs of $50,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
17 November 2025
- Hearing date 8 and 9 July 2025 Appellants' submissions (PDF, 399 KB)
- Hearing date 8 and 9 July 2025 Respondents' submissions (PDF, 691 KB)
- Hearing date 8 and 9 July 2025 Appellants' Chronology (PDF, 741 KB)
- Hearing date 8 and 9 July 2025 Respondents' Chronology (PDF, 117 KB)
- Hearing date 8 and 9 July 2025 Appellants' outline of oral argument (PDF, 57 KB)
- Hearing date 8-9 July 2025 Transcript (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Hearing date 8 - 9 July 2025 Case Synopsis (PDF, 477 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 162 (PDF, 292 KB)
- SC 105/2024 Rasier Operations BV v E Tū Incorporated (Recorded, 9 July 2025)
- SC 105/2024 Rasier Operations BV v E Tū Incorporated (Recorded, 8 July 2025)