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.

31 July 2026

Case information summary (as at 31 July 2026) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary (as at 31 July 2026)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 131 KB) 

All years

Case name
Terrence McFarland v Commissioner of Police
Case number
SC 19/2024
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 respondent costs of $2,500.
30 July 2024
Case name
Alan Clinton McQuade v Commissioner of Police
Case number
SC 27/2024
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.
13 August 2024
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v The Privacy Commissioner
Case number
SC 69/2024
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.
28 November 2024
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v Registrar of the Supreme Court
Case number
SC 70/2024
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.
28 November 2024
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Veronica Anne Hoeberechts v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 88/2024
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 respondent costs of $2,500.
1 November 2024
_______________________________________
The application for review of the decision of the Registrar declining to waive the filing fee is dismissed.
15 November 2024
Case name
David Charles Rae v Commissioner of Police
Case number
SC 33/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s recall judgment (Rae v Commissioner of Police [2023] NZCA 38) is dismissed.
B The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s substantive judgment (Rae v Commissioner of Police [2023] NZCA 4) is granted.
C Leave to appeal is granted.
D The appeal is dismissed.
E There is no order as to costs.
30 November 2023
Date of hearing
12 October 2023
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Williams and Kós JJ
Case name
G (SC 50/2023) v Commissioner of Police, Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections and District Court at Wellington
Case number
SC 50/2023
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 first and second respondents costs of $2,500.
14 September 2023
Case name
Siu Jun Zhou and Levonz Investment Limited v Commissioner of Police
Case number
SC 52/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
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
Case name
Beena Jyatin Tailor v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 142/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B The applicants must pay the respondent one set of costs of $2,500.
16 February 2024