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
Civil Appeal
A Subject to C, the applications for leave to appeal are granted (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2022] NZCA 598).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeals.
C The application for leave to appeal on costs is dismissed (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2022] NZCA 598).
D An extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2020] NZHC 3388).
E The application for leave to appeal is granted (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2020] NZHC 3388).
F The approved question is whether the High Court erred in upholding the Environment Court’s decision in relation to the negative tikanga effects.
17 April 2023
______________________________
A Sustainable Otakiri Inc’s appeal is dismissed.
B Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa’s appeal is dismissed.
C Costs are reserved.
12 November 2025
- Hearing date 22 -24 Nov 2023 Appellant submissions (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Hearing date 22 - 24 Nov 2023 First Respondent subsmissions (PDF, 365 KB)
- Hearing date 22 - 24 Nov 2023 Second Respondent submisisons (PDF, 498 KB)
- Hearing date 22 Nov - 24 Nov 2023 Joint Chronology (PDF, 161 KB)
- Hearing date 22 -24 November 2023 transcript (PDF, 1.6 MB)
- Hearing date 22 Nov_24 Nov 2023 (PDF, 481 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 158 (PDF, 288 KB)
- SC 1/2023 and SC 2/2023 (Recorded, 24 November 2023)
- SC 1/2023 and SC2/2023 (Recorded, 23 November 2023)
- SC 1/2023 and SC2/2023 (Recorded, 22 November 2023)
Civil Appeal
A Subject to C, the applications for leave to appeal are granted (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2022] NZCA 598).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeals.
C The application for leave to appeal on costs is dismissed (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2022] NZCA 598).
D An extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2020] NZHC 3388).
E The application for leave to appeal is granted (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa v Bay of Plenty Regional Council [2020] NZHC 3388).
F The approved question is whether the High Court erred in upholding the Environment Court’s decision in relation to the negative tikanga effects.
17 April 2023
_______________________________
A Sustainable Otakiri Inc’s appeal is dismissed.
B Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa’s appeal is dismissed.
C Costs are reserved.
12 November 2025
- Hearing date 22-24 Nov 2023 Appellant submissions (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Hearing 22 - 24 Nov 2023 Appellant Roadmap (PDF, 111 KB)
- Hearing date 22-24 Nov 2023 First Respondent Submissions (PDF, 637 KB)
- Hearing 22 - 24 Nov 2023 First Respondent Outline (PDF, 165 KB)
- Hearing date 22-24 Nov 2023 Second Respondent Submissions (PDF, 515 KB)
- Hearing date 22-24 Nov 2023 Joint Chronology (PDF, 161 KB)
- Hearing date 22 Nov_24 Nov 2023 (PDF, 481 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 158 (PDF, 288 KB)
- SC 1/2023 and SC 2/2023 (Recorded, 24 November 2023)
- SC 1/2023 and SC2/2023 (Recorded, 23 November 2023)
- SC 1/2023 and SC2/2023 (Recorded, 22 November 2023)
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal.
4 May 2023
_______________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellants must pay the respondents total costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements.
18 December 2024
- Hearing date 10 October 2023 Appellant Submissions (PDF, 523 KB)
- Hearing date 10 October 2023 Respondent Submissions (PDF, 462 KB)
- Hearing date 10 October 2023 Respondent outline of oral argument (PDF, 156 KB)
- Hearing date 10 October 2023 Appellant outline of oral argument (PDF, 245 KB)
- Hearing date 10 October 2023 Appellant chronology (PDF, 221 KB)
- Hearing date 10 October 2023 Trans 14 (PDF, 638 KB)
- Hearing date 10 October 2023 Case Synopsis (PDF, 445 KB)
- MR [2024] NZSC 173 (PDF, 350 KB)
- SC 8/2023 Legler v Formannoij and Anor (Recorded, 10 October 2023)
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was right to conclude that the Building Act longstop provisions do not apply to a contribution claim.
21 April 2024
_________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The claim by Wellington City Council against Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd is not time-barred.
C The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel. 18 September 2024
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Appellant submissions (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Appellant Roadmap (PDF, 150 KB)
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Respondent submissions (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Case Synopsis (PDF, 380 KB)
- MR [2024] NZSC 117 (PDF, 275 KB)
- SC 11 2023 Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd v Wellington City Council (Recorded, 18 October 2023)
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in its interpretation of s 64(1) of the Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Act 2005 which suspends the limitation period for a victim of an offence making a claim under that Act while the offender is “serving a sentence of imprisonment” and, in particular, in concluding that time spent in pre-sentence detention counts to extend the period of suspension.
4 May 2023
_________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The award of $5,000 to the respondent made by the Victims’ Special Claims Tribunal is set aside.
6 November 2023
- Hearing date 18 July 2023 Appellant's Submissions (PDF, 268 KB)
- Hearing date 18 July 2023 Secretary for Justice's Submissions (PDF, 1021 KB)
- Hearing date 18 July 2023 Joint Chronology (PDF, 68 KB)
- Hearing date 18 July Transcript (PDF, 449 KB)
- Hearing date 18 July 2023 SC 21_2023 (PDF, 310 KB)
- MR [2023] NZSC 148 (PDF, 396 KB)
- Joshua Pera Van Silfhout v Udaya Lakshman Agas Pathirannehelage (Recorded, 18 July 2023)
31 May 2023
Civil Appeal and Cross-Appeal
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to cross-appeal is granted.
B Leave to appeal and cross-appeal is granted in part (PGG Wrightson Real Estate Ltd v Routhan [2023] NZCA 123).
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in varying the damages awarded in the High Court.
D The applications for leave to appeal and cross-appeal are otherwise dismissed.
22 September 2023
____________________________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed. We fix damages payable by the respondent at $780,500, with interest as specified at [234].
B The cross-appeal is dismissed.
C The respondent must pay the appellants one set of costs of $50,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
26 June 2025
- Hearing 11 and 12 March 2024 Appellant submissions (PDF, 12 MB)
- Hearing 11 and 12 March 2024 Respondent submissions (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Hearing 11 and 12 March 2024 Cross Appellant submissions (PDF, 221 KB)
- Hearing 11 and 12 March 2024 Cross Respondent submissions (PDF, 354 KB)
- Hearing 11 and 12 March 2024 Joint Chronology (PDF, 258 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 March 2024 Appellant oral outline (PDF, 934 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 March 2024 Cross Respondent oral outline (PDF, 174 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 March 2024 Respondent oral outline (PDF, 258 KB)
- Hearing 11-12 March 2024 (PDF, 1016 KB)
- Hearing date 11 and 12 March 2024 SC 45/2023 (PDF, 450 KB)
- MR [2025] NZSC 68 (PDF, 292 KB)
- SC 45/2023 Philip William Routhan and Julie Veronica Routhan as Trustees of the Kaniere Family Trust v PGG Wrightson Real Estate Ltd (Recorded, 12 March 2024)
- SC 45/2023 Philip William Routhan and Julie Veronica Routhan as Trustees of the Kaniere Family Trust v PGG Wrightson Real Estate Ltd (Recorded, 11 March 2024)
B The applicant must pay both the respondents' costs of $2,500.
17 August 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
27 September 2023