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.
22 September 2026
Case information summary (as at 18 September 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 112 KB)
Case information summary (as at 18 September 2026) – Currently unavailable
All years
Case name
Jeremy James McGuire v Secretary for Justice
Case number
SC 4/2021
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.
18 March 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
18 March 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Trevor James Murray v West Coast Holdings Limited
Case number
SC 13/2021
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 is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
3 June 2021
__________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 3 June 2021 (Murray v West Coast Holdings Ltd [2021] NZSC 55) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
9 September 2021
B There is no order as to costs.
3 June 2021
__________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 3 June 2021 (Murray v West Coast Holdings Ltd [2021] NZSC 55) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
9 September 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Peter Francis Joseph Little v Debrah Leanne Little and Peter Francis Joseph Little and Lockhart Legal Trustee Services No. 31 Limited as trustees of the Marble Arch Trust
Case number
SC 38/2021
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.
24 June 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
24 June 2021
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Peter Gomm, Jennifer Mary Shipley and Clive William Charles Tilby v Mainzeal Property and Construction Limited (in liquidation), Andrew James Bethell, Richard Ciliang Yan and Andrew McKay
Case number
SC 52/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal and Cross Appeal
Result
A The appeals by the directors are dismissed.
B The cross-appeal by the liquidators is allowed to the extent that in lieu of the remittal of the proceedings back to the High Court, we order the directors to contribute to the assets of Mainzeal $39.8 million together with interest at prescribed rates since 28 February 2013 with the liabilities of Dame Jennifer Shipley and Messrs Tilby and Gomm each limited to $6.6 million and interest.
C The directors are to pay costs in the sum of $65,000 together with reasonable disbursements.
25 August 2023
B The cross-appeal by the liquidators is allowed to the extent that in lieu of the remittal of the proceedings back to the High Court, we order the directors to contribute to the assets of Mainzeal $39.8 million together with interest at prescribed rates since 28 February 2013 with the liabilities of Dame Jennifer Shipley and Messrs Tilby and Gomm each limited to $6.6 million and interest.
C The directors are to pay costs in the sum of $65,000 together with reasonable disbursements.
25 August 2023
Date of hearing
07 March 2022
- 11 March 2022
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan and Ellen France JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 7 - 11 March 2022 (PDF, 2 MB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing Mon 7 March - Fri 11 March 2022 (PDF, 436 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2023] NZSC 113 (PDF, 342 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
Peter William Mawhinney v Auckland Council
Case number
SC 59/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to amend the application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
21 September 2021
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
21 September 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Winston Raymond Peters v The Attorney-General sued on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development, Brendon Boyle and Peter Hughes
Case number
SC 99/2021
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 respondents costs of $2,500.
2 December 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
2 December 2021
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Keanu Head, James Logie Wright, Samuel Gregory, Rebecca Langford, Ashleigh Crichton, Tamara Joan Evans, Dylan Crook and Wendy Kain v Chief Executive of the Inland Revenue Department and Madison Recruitment Limited
Case number
SC 131/2021
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 is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicants must pay each respondent costs of $2,500.
2 March 2022
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicants must pay each respondent costs of $2,500.
2 March 2022
Employment Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Alusi Limited, Openyd Limited, Rudayna Ibrahim, Abdulah Abdulqadir and Omar Jassim v G J Lawrence Dental Limited and Gary John Lawrence and Jason Peter Silk as trustees of the G J Lawrence Family Trust, and Diane Sheryl Lawrence and Jason Peter Silk as tr
Case number
SC 151/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicants must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
22 February 2022
B The applicants must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
22 February 2022
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Peter William Mawhinney v The Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 32/2020
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.
11 August 2020
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
11 August 2020
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Stephen James Henare v The Queen
Case number
SC 44/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
16 September 2020
16 September 2020
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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