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
Case name
Local Government Mutual Funds Trustee Limited v Napier City Council
Case number
SC 103/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted (Napier City Council v Local Government Mutual Funds Trustee Ltd [2022] NZCA 422).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct:
(a) in its interpretation of exclusion 13(a) of the Protection Wording; and
(b) in its consequent finding that the claim by the respondent in relation to its liability to owners of apartments in the Waterfront Apartments complex was excluded by exclusion 13(a) only to the extent that the respondent’s liability arose directly or indirectly out of, or in respect of, weathertightness defects.
21 December 2022
______________________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
1 August 2023
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct:
(a) in its interpretation of exclusion 13(a) of the Protection Wording; and
(b) in its consequent finding that the claim by the respondent in relation to its liability to owners of apartments in the Waterfront Apartments complex was excluded by exclusion 13(a) only to the extent that the respondent’s liability arose directly or indirectly out of, or in respect of, weathertightness defects.
21 December 2022
______________________________________________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
1 August 2023
Date of hearing
27 April 2023
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, O'Regan, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing 27 April 2023 Appellant Submissions (PDF, 7.9 MB)
- Hearing 27 April 2023 Appellant oral outline (PDF, 318 KB)
- Hearing 27 April 2023 Respondent Submissions (PDF, 681 KB)
- Hearing 27 April 2023 Respondent Oral Outline (PDF, 779 KB)
- Hearing 27 April 2023 Joint Chronology (PDF, 347 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 27 April 2023 (PDF, 550 KB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 27 April 2023 (PDF, 557 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2023] NZSC 97 (PDF, 259 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Videos
- Local Government Mutual Funds Trustee Limited v Napier City Council - SC 103/2022 (Recorded, 27 April 2023)
Case name
A, B and C v D and E Limited as Trustees of the Z Trust
Case number
SC 106/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (D and E Ltd as Trustees of the Z Trust v A, B and C [2022] NZCA 430).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
C We make an order prohibiting publication of names, addresses or identifying particulars of any persons or entities connected to this proceeding.
20 December 2022
_____________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
28 November 2024
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
C We make an order prohibiting publication of names, addresses or identifying particulars of any persons or entities connected to this proceeding.
20 December 2022
_____________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
28 November 2024
Date of hearing
13 June 2023
- 14 June 2023
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 13 and 14 June 2023 Appellant submissions (PDF, 461 KB)
- Hearing date 13 and 14 June 2023 Respondent submissions (PDF, 963 KB)
- Hearing date 13 and 14 June 2023 Counsel to Assist Submissions (PDF, 257 KB)
- Hearing date 13 and 14 June 2023 Joint Chronology (PDF, 545 KB)
Transcripts
Media Releases
- MR [2024] NZSC 161 (PDF, 242 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Case name
Yiheng Wu v Stalix Property Limited and Stress Free Chairs, Dining and Loungs Limited
Case number
SC 112/2022
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.
16 February 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
16 February 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v Auckland High Court, Attorney-General And New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 114/2022
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.
17 February 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
17 February 2023
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
D (SC 115/2022) v JDN
Case number
SC 115/2022
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
17 February 2023
__________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 17 February 2023 (D (SC 115/2022) v JDN [2023] NZSC 4) is dismissed.
B We make no order as to costs.
10 March 2023
17 February 2023
__________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 17 February 2023 (D (SC 115/2022) v JDN [2023] NZSC 4) is dismissed.
B We make no order as to costs.
10 March 2023
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
D (SC 115/2022) v JDN [2023] NZSC 17 [10 March 2023] (PDF, 40 KB)
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v New Zealand Law Society, B A Galloway, R Maidment and J Pilkington
Case number
SC 118/2022
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.
3 March 2023
B There is no order as to costs.
3 March 2023
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v Commissioner Of Police, Judicial Conduct Commissioner, Chief High Court Judge, Director of Human Rights Proceedings and Attorney-General
Case number
SC 119/2022
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 fifth respondent, the Attorney-General, costs of $2,500.
3 March 2023
B The applicant must pay the fifth respondent, the Attorney-General, costs of $2,500.
3 March 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Michael Rawiri Taia v Auckland Standards Committee 5 and Southland Standards Committee
Case number
SC 121/2022
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 $2,000.
9 March 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,000.
9 March 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
DFT v RMC, Attorney-General and Family Court at Manukau
Case number
SC 126/2022
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.
17 February 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
17 February 2023
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Dermot Gregory Nottingham, Phillip Raymond Nottingham and Robert Earle McKinney v The Real Estate Agents Authority and Martin Russel Honey
Case number
SC 128/2022
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 costs of $1,250 to each of the respondents.
11 May 2023
B The applicants must pay costs of $1,250 to each of the respondents.
11 May 2023
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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