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.
17 August 2026
Case information summary (as at 17 August 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary (as at 17 August 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 128 KB)
All years
Case name
Rodney George Martel v The King
Case number
SC 125/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is dismissed.
5 May 2023
5 May 2023
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
RODNEY GEORGE MARTEL v R [2023] NZSC 48 [5 May 2023] (PDF, 172 KB)
Case name
Te Warena Taua, George Hori Winikerei Taua, Ngarama Walker, Hamuera Taua and Miriama Tamaariki as Trustees of the Te Kaweray Iwi Tribal Authority and Te Warena Taua, George Hori Winikerei Taua, Ngarama Walker, Hamuera Taua and Miriama Tamaariki as Truste
Case number
SC 9/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Taua v Tahi Enterprises Ltd [2020] NZCA 639).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
15 July 2021
_____________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed to the extent that, by consent, the orders made in the High Court and the Court of Appeal granting discovery of the register of iwi members are set aside and the other orders set out below at [16] are substituted.
B Leave is reserved to the parties and any member of the iwi to apply to the High Court for modifications of these orders. The High Court may make such orders, including any additional or ancillary orders.
C There is no order as to costs in this Court. The costs orders made in the Court of Appeal on the appeal in that Court in favour of the respondents are set aside. The respondents must pay the appellants costs in that Court calculated for a standard appeal on a band A basis and usual disbursements. The costs orders made in the High Court stand.
15 December 2021
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
15 July 2021
_____________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed to the extent that, by consent, the orders made in the High Court and the Court of Appeal granting discovery of the register of iwi members are set aside and the other orders set out below at [16] are substituted.
B Leave is reserved to the parties and any member of the iwi to apply to the High Court for modifications of these orders. The High Court may make such orders, including any additional or ancillary orders.
C There is no order as to costs in this Court. The costs orders made in the Court of Appeal on the appeal in that Court in favour of the respondents are set aside. The respondents must pay the appellants costs in that Court calculated for a standard appeal on a band A basis and usual disbursements. The costs orders made in the High Court stand.
15 December 2021
Date of hearing
19 November 2021
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France, Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 18 May 2021 (PDF, 202 KB)
- Hearing date 19 November 2021 (PDF, 279 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Supreme court decision
Case name
George Tama Nicholls v Mark Steven Nicholls, Airini Pirihiria Tukerangi, Delace William James, Kahutoroa Mataia Tukerangi, Viv Tama Nicholls, Anita Mari Norman and Sarah Jane Nicholls as trustees of the Ahu Whenua Trust known as The W T Nicholls Trust
Case number
SC 76/2020
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.
19 February 2021
B There is no order as to costs.
19 February 2021
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
The Queen v Maurice William Reti and Logan Aaron Wood
Case number
SC 23/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted (Reti v R [2019] NZCA 17).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that the evidence obtained pursuant to the production order of 4 August 2016 and pursuant to the execution of the search warrant on 1 November 2016 was inadmissible at the trial.
C 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 trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
4 April 2019
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B 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 trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
5 March 2020
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that the evidence obtained pursuant to the production order of 4 August 2016 and pursuant to the execution of the search warrant on 1 November 2016 was inadmissible at the trial.
C 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 trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
4 April 2019
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B 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 trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
5 March 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave granted
R v MAURICE WILLIAM RETI [2019] NZSC 36 [4 April 2019] (PDF, 182 KB)
Substantive judgment
Date of hearing
23 July 2019
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Case name
Carl David George Butcher v The Queen
Case number
SC 35/2019
Summary
Not publicly available
Result
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
High/District Court judgment
Not publicly available
Case name
William George Graham Cameron Cleary v Ewart & Ewart
Case number
SC 9/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether Court of Appeal erred in upholding the High Court’s dismissal of the applicant’s claim against his lawyer for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent.
12 April 2018
B The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent.
12 April 2018
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CLEARY v EWART & EWART [2018] NZSC 28 [12 April 2018] (PDF, 206 KB)
Case name
George WHICHMAN v The Queen
Case number
SC 42/2018
Summary
Not publicly available
Result
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
George Whichman v The Queen
Case number
SC 69/2018
Summary
Not publicly available
Result
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Patrick Maurice O'Sullivan v The Queen
Case number
SC 77/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining the application for leave to bring a second appeal against conviction – Whether there are exceptional circumstances justifying an appeal direct from the High Court.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
7 November 2018
_____________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 7 November 2018 (O’Sullivan v R [2018] NZSC 103) is dismissed.
28 November 2018
7 November 2018
_____________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 7 November 2018 (O’Sullivan v R [2018] NZSC 103) is dismissed.
28 November 2018
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Christian John Gillibrand and Mary Caecilia Gillibrand (as trustees of The Chris and Mary Gillibrand family trust) v George Peter Swanepoel
Case number
SC 106/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against the admissibility of evidence under s 25 of the Evidence Act 2006.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent.
21 February 2019
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent.
21 February 2019
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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