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
B The applicant must pay the second, third and fifth respondents one set of costs of $1,250 and the fourth respondent costs of $1,250.
30 April 2024
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the second, third and fifth respondents one set of costs of $1,250 and the fourth respondent costs of $1,250.
30 August 2024
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
1 November 2024
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The application for review of the decision of the Registrar declining to waive the filing fee is dismissed.
15 November 2024
Civil Appeal
A The application for leave to appeal is granted (Pascoe v Minister for Land Information [2024] NZCA 557).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to find that negotiations prior to the compulsory acquisition of land for essential works, under s 18 of the Public Works Act 1981, may be undertaken by an accredited contractor rather than by the Respondent personally (or an official of Toitū Te Whenua | Land Information New Zealand with delegated authority by the Respondent).
C Counsel to assist the Court will be appointed by the Registrar.
19 May 2025
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A The application of counsel assisting the Court for leave to adduce further evidence is granted.
B The Court answers the question for which leave was granted in the following way: the negotiations function under s 18(1)(d) of the Public Works Act 1981 may be performed by an accredited contractor, rather than the Minister personally or the Minister’s delegate within Toitū Te Whenua | Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), provided the accredited contractor holds delegated authority to perform that function.
C The Court finds that LINZ officials delegated the negotiations function outside the Public Service in this case but did not follow the necessary statutory processes. The appellants did not refuse to negotiate, for purposes of s 18(2), by refusing to deal with the accredited contractor.
D The appeal is allowed accordingly. The proceeding is remitted to the High Court to determine what relief, if any, is appropriate.
E The respondent must pay the appellants one set of costs of $3,000 plus usual disbursements.
18 December 2025
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 Appellant's reply submissions (PDF, 468 KB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 Respondent submissions (PDF, 1.6 MB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 Counsel to assist the Court submissions (PDF, 806 KB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 Appellant's oral outline (PDF, 330 KB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 oral outline for respondent (PDF, 238 KB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 oral outline for counsel to assist (PDF, 199 KB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 Appellant submissions (PDF, 883 KB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 Transcript (PDF, 645 KB)
- Hearing date 14 October 2025 Case Synopsis (PDF, 462 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 195 (PDF, 324 KB)
- SC 123/2024 Tony James Sofus Pascoe and Debbie Ann Pascoe v The Minister for Land Information (Recorded, 14 October 2025)
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B The applicant must pay the respondents one set of costs of $1,000. 12 July 2023
B Leave to the First Respondent to cross appeal is granted.
17 May 2022
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A The appeal is allowed. We uphold the conclusion of the High Court Judge dismissing the claim by Ms Taylor for compensatory damages in relation to false imprisonment.
B The cross appeal is dismissed.
C Costs are reserved.
12 May 2023
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A There are no costs orders in this Court.
B Costs in the Courts below are to be dealt with by those Courts.
4 July 2023
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Appellant submissions A G (PDF, 538 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Attorney General submissions on cross appeal (PDF, 293 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Appellants Submissions Roper (PDF, 280 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Cross Appellants Submissions in opposition to the Submissions of the Attorney General (PDF, 121 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Cross Appellants Submissions Opposing Submissions of Roper (PDF, 111 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 First Respondent Cross Appellant Outline of Oral Argument (PDF, 679 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Attorney General Outline of Oral Argument (PDF, 804 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 (PDF, 405 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October - 6 October 2022 (PDF, 688 KB)
- MR [2023] NZSC 49 (PDF, 250 KB)
B Leave to the First Respondent to cross appeal is granted.
17 May 2022
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A The appeal is allowed. We uphold the conclusion of the High Court Judge dismissing the claim by Ms Taylor for compensatory damages in relation to false imprisonment.
B The cross appeal is dismissed.
C Costs are reserved.
12 May 2023
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A There are no costs orders in this Court.
B Costs in the Courts below are to be dealt with by those Courts.
4 July 2023
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Appellant submissions A G (PDF, 538 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Attorney General submissions on cross appeal (PDF, 293 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Appellants Submissions Roper (PDF, 280 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Cross Appellants Submissions in opposition to the Submissions of the Attorney General (PDF, 121 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Cross Appellants Submissions Opposing Submissions of Roper (PDF, 111 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 First Respondent Cross Appellant Outline of Oral Argument (PDF, 679 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 Attorney General Outline of Oral Argument (PDF, 804 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October 2022 (PDF, 405 KB)
- Hearing date 5 October - 6 October 2022 (PDF, 688 KB)
- MR [2023] NZSC 49 (PDF, 250 KB)
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
22 August 2022
B The applicants must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
21 December 2022
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
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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
- Hearing date 22 June 2021 (PDF, 229 KB)