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 The Secretary for Justice
Case number
SC 22/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Legal Services Act 2011 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in striking out the applicant’s application for judicial review – Whether a self-represented litigant who is a practising lawyer can receive a costs award.
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (McGuire v The Secretary for Justice [2018] NZCA 37)
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal and allow the cross-appeal
12 June 2018
_______________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order for costs.
27 November 2018
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal and allow the cross-appeal
12 June 2018
_______________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order for costs.
27 November 2018
Transcripts
- Hearing date 1 August 2018 (PDF, 407 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2018] NZSC 116 (PDF, 293 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
Thomas James Luke Olliver v The Queen
Case number
SC 28/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the trial judge’s direction was adequate to the newly formed jury was adequate – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against conviction.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 June 2018
15 June 2018
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Jeremy James McGuire v New Zealand Law Society
Case number
SC 50/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to hold that the issue was whether counsel had properly advised the client about the risk and financial implications of litigation.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent.
11 October 2018
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent.
11 October 2018
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
James John Duncan Macfarlane v Perpetual Trust Limited
Case number
SC 80/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the High Court’s decision to remove a caveat over a property and grant vacant possession.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent
14 November 2018
B Costs of $2,500 are awarded to the respondent
14 November 2018
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Peter Richard Prescott v District Court at North Shore and Malcolm Denmead
Case number
SC 84/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the applicant’s application for judicial review of the Registrar’ s decision to require security for costs.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 to the second respondent.
19 November 2018
B The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 to the second respondent.
19 November 2018
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Mark Arona v The Queen
Case number
SC 98/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by not admitting evidence under section 44 of the Evidence Act 2006.
Result
The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
22 February 2019
22 February 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Jesse-James Winter v The Queen
Case number
SC 102/2018
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing an appeal against conviction.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted (Winter v R [2018] NZCA 469).
B The approved ground of appeal is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
21 February 2019
B The approved ground of appeal is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
21 February 2019
Transcripts
- Hearing date 16 May 2019 (PDF, 388 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2019] NZSC 98 (PDF, 72 KB)
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive 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
Case name
Gerardus Peter van Uden v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 108/2018
Summary
Civil Appeal – Income Tax Act 1994, s OE 1 – Meaning of “ permanent place of abode” –Taxation of income in New Zealand while working overseas – Whether the Court of Appeal was right to dismiss the applicant’s appeal against the High Court’s decision.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
19 March 2019
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
19 March 2019
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Commercial Factors Limited v Jeffrey Philip Meltzer, Lloyd James Hayward and Arron Leslie Heath
Case number
SC 111/2018
Summary
Civil appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that the appellant funder was not entitled to payment according to the terms of its litigation funding agreement with the respondents as liquidators of Blue Chip New Zealand Ltd.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay to the respondents costs of $2,500.
27 February 2019
B The applicant must pay to the respondents costs of $2,500.
27 February 2019
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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