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

Case name
Ethan Webster v The King
Case number
SC 3/2026
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (Webster v R [2025] NZCA 679).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
16 April 2026

Date of hearing
16 July 2026
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams, Kós and Cooke JJ
Case name
Russell Thomas Hoban v Attorney-General
Case number
SC 8/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal 

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (Hoban v Attorney-General [2025] NZCA 644).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
5 May 2026

Date of hearing
07 October 2026 - 08 October 2026
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Case name
Corey Robert Murfitt v The King
Case number
SC 10/2026
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 May 2026

Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Lego Holding A/S and Largo A/S v Zuru New Zealand Limited, Zuru Toys New Zealand Limited and Zuru Inc
Case number
SC 13/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (Zuru New Zealand Ltd v Lego Holding A/S [2025] NZCA 650).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
07 May 2026

Date of hearing
17 November 2026 - 18 November 2026
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Case name
Hailing Wang and Linda Wu v Body Corporate 406198, The Parties Listed in Schedule 1, Argon Construction Limited and Auckland Council
Case number
SC 20/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal the High Court judgment is dismissed.
B The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal the Court of Appeal judgment is granted.
C The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
D The application for leave to adduce further evidence is dismissed.
E The application for an oral leave hearing is dismissed.
F The applicants must pay the first respondent costs of $2,500.
26 May 2026

Case name
Alisohn Joan Fielding v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 21/2026
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 
27 May 2026

District Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Grant Stanley Nicholls v The King
Case number
SC 24/2026
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

The applications for an extension of time to file the applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
21 May 2026

District Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
RH & JY Trust, Jocelyn Yvette Brown and Perpetual Trust Limited v WorkSafe New Zealand
Case number
SC 32/2026
Summary

Criminal Appeal 

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (RH & JY Trust v WorkSafe New Zealand [2026] NZCA 12).
B The approved question is whether a trust and/or the trustees of a trust acting collectively is a “person” within the meaning of s 16 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015?
13 May 2026

Date of hearing
28 July 2026
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Case name
Shalinee Dowlut v Aurecon New Zealand Limited
Case number
SC 38/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A The application for leave to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal is dismissed.
B We grant an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal against the decision of the Employment Court.
C The application for leave to appeal against the decision of the Employment Court is dismissed.
D The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
28 May 2026

Employment Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Rhys Warren v Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 49/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A The application for an extension of time to file the notice of application for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 
10 June 2026