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.
19 June 2026
Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 89 KB)
Case information summary (as at 19 June 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 126 KB)
All years
Case name
Ikon Building Co-operation Limited v Pourushasp Rohinton Dumasia and David Hilliam
Case number
SC 86/2021
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 one set of costs of $2,500.
13 October 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
13 October 2021
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
John Lawson Little v New Zeland Natural Therapy Limited (in Liquidation), Vivien Judith Madsen-Ries and Henry David Levin
Case number
SC 120/2021
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.
3 December 2021
B The applicant must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
3 December 2021
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
David Simon Barton v Chief Executive, Department of Corrections
Case number
SC 141/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
1 July 2022
1 July 2022
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
David Simon Barton v The Queen
Case number
SC 13/2020
Summary
Criminal 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.
21 August 2020
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
21 August 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Supreme court decision
DAVID SIMON BARTON v R [2020] NZSC 24 [25 March 2020] (PDF, 351 KB)
Supreme court decision
DAVID SIMON BARTON v R [2020] NZSC 30 [7 April 2020] (PDF, 346 KB)
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Recall judgment
DAVID SIMON BARTON v R [2020] NZSC 112 [16 October 2020] (PDF, 167 KB)
Case name
Jason David Signal v The Queen
Case number
SC 58/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
9 September 2020
9 September 2020
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
David John Hampton v Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, Official Assignee and Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 72/2020
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 costs of $1,250 to each of the second and third respondents.
13 November 2020
B The applicant must pay costs of $1,250 to each of the second and third respondents.
13 November 2020
High Court decision
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Robert John Herd and Rhumba Holdings Limited v Rodney David Haines Kathleen Anne Norman
Case number
SC 80/2020
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.
21 December 2020
B The applicants must pay the respondents costs of $2,500.
21 December 2020
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
David Noel Roigard v The Queen
Case number
SC 25/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in relation to evidential matters (namely jury directions and prejudice in relation to cellmate confession evidence) – Whether the Court of Appeal wrongly determined aggravating factors in determining a minimum period of imprisonment.
Result
A Leave to appeal against conviction is granted to the extent described below (Roigard v R [2019] NZCA 8).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the admissibility of the proposed evidence of the witnesses F and W.
C Leave to appeal against sentence is declined.
27 June 2019
__________________________________________________
The appeal is dismissed.
14 September 2020
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal erred in upholding the admissibility of the proposed evidence of the witnesses F and W.
C Leave to appeal against sentence is declined.
27 June 2019
__________________________________________________
The appeal is dismissed.
14 September 2020
Media Releases
- MR [2020] NZSC 94 (PDF, 76 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
DAVID NOEL ROIGARD v R [2019] NZSC 63 [27 June 2019] (PDF, 232 KB)
Substantive judgment
Hearing - Judges
3 October 2019
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Ellen France, and Williams JJ
Case synopsis
Case name
Vivien Judith Madsen-Ries and Henry David Levin as liquidators of Debut Homes Limited and Debut Homes Limited (in liquidation) v Leonard Wayne Cooper and Leonard Wayne Cooper and Tracey Cooper as trustees of the L & T Cooper Family Trust
Case number
SC 29/2019
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in interpreting s 136 of the Companies Act 1993 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in considering the Respondent’s actions as a director under ss 131 and 135 of the Companies Act 1993.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted (Debut Homes Ltd (in liq) v Cooper [2019] NZCA 39)
B The approved ground of appeal is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
21 June 2019
___________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The High Court orders outlined at [4(a)], (b) and (c) of this Court’s judgment are restored.
C The respondents must pay the appellants costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements. Costs in the Courts below are to be determined in accordance with this judgment.
24 September 2020
B The approved ground of appeal is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal.
21 June 2019
___________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The High Court orders outlined at [4(a)], (b) and (c) of this Court’s judgment are restored.
C The respondents must pay the appellants costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements. Costs in the Courts below are to be determined in accordance with this judgment.
24 September 2020
Media Releases
- MR [2020] NZSC 100 (PDF, 74 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Recall judgment
Transcript
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
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