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.

3 July 2026

Case information summary (as at 3 July 2026) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 88 KB)
Case information summary (as at 3 July 2026)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 127 KB) 

All years

Case name
D v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 31/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal
Result
The judgment of this Court of 21 June 2019 ([2019] NZSC 58) is
recalled and reissued with the applicant’s name anonymised.
9 February 2021
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A The application for leave to appeal against an order that the applicant be placed on the Child Sex Offender Register is granted ([2019] NZCA 30).
B The approved question is whether and, if so, how the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 has to be taken into account in decisions under s 9 of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016.
21 June 2019
Reissued 9 February 2021
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A The application to adduce further evidence is granted.
B The appeal is allowed.
C The registration order made by the District Court under s 9(1) of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016 is quashed.
9 February 2021
Transcripts
Media Releases
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Substantive judgment
D (SC 31/2019) v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2021] NZSC 2 [9 February 2021] (PDF, 1.1 MB)
Additional document
D (SC 31/2019) v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2021] NZSC 1 [9 February 2021] (reissue judgment) (PDF, 147 KB)
Additional document
D (SC 31/2019) v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2019] NZSC 58 [21 June 2019] (re-issued judgment) (PDF, 115 KB)
Case name
Pavlos Paul Gizelis v The Queen
Case number
SC 33/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the appeal against conviction and sentence for sexual violation and kidnapping – Whether the Court of Appeal should have admitted DNA evidence led at trial – Whether the Applicant was impaired by medication in his ability to make an informed decision to elect to give evidence and whether that meant he did not receive a fair trial.
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
30 August 2019
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
PAVLOS PAUL GIZELIS v R [2019] NZSC 94 [30 August 2019] (PDF, 47 KB)
Case name
Jeffrey Robert Bunting v The Queen
Case number
SC 44/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that there was no material trial counsel error – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in holding that propensity evidence was admissible.
Result
A The application for an extension of time is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed with leave reserved as set out in [11] below.
9 September 2019
Transcripts
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
BUNTING v R [2018] NZCA 602 [20 December 2018]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JEFFREY ROBERT BUNTING v R [2019] NZSC 95 [9 September 2019] (PDF, 46 KB)
Oral leave hearing date
Thursday 29 August 2019
Case name
Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis v The King
Case number
SC 49/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether there was a miscarriage of justice arising from risks of contamination of or improperly obtained complainant evidence - Whether there was a miscarriage of justice arising from lack of expert evidence on the reliability of children complainants’ evidence – Whether there was a miscarriage of justice due to unreliable expert evidence being led at trial.
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 granted.  
C The approved ground of appeal is whether a miscarriage of justice occurred in this case.  
31 July 2019
_____________________________________________________
The appeal is to continue despite the death of the appellant.
1 September 2020
_____________________________________________________
A The applications to adduce further evidence are granted.
B The appeal is allowed.
C The convictions of the appellant are quashed.
7 October 2022
Date of hearing
04 October 2021 - 15 October 2021
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, O'Regan, Williams and Arnold JJ
Transcripts
Case Synopses
Media Releases
Leave judgment - leave granted
PETER HUGH MCGREGOR ELLIS v R [2019] NZSC 83 [31 July 2019] (PDF, 220 KB)
Substantive judgment
PETER HUGH MCGREGOR ELLIS v R [2020] NZSC 89 [1 September 2020] (PDF, 70 KB)
Additional document
PETER HUGH MCGREGOR ELLIS v R [2020] NZSC 137 [13 November 2020] Reasons 7 December 2020 (PDF, 202 KB)
Supreme court decision
PETER HUGH MCGREGOR ELLIS v R [2021] NZSC 63 [15 June 2021] (PDF, 113 KB)
Supreme court decision
PETER HUGH MCGREGOR ELLIS v R [2021] NZSC 77 [1 July 2021] (PDF, 260 KB)
Substantive judgment
PETER HUGH MCGREGOR ELLIS v R [2022] NZSC 114 [7 October 2022] (PDF, 1.1 MB)
Substantive judgment
PETER HUGH MCGREGOR ELLIS v R [2022] NZSC 115 [7 October 2022] (PDF, 1 MB)
Videos
Case name
Synlait Milk Limited v New Zealand Industrial Park Limited and Ye Qing
Case number
SC 50/2019
Summary
Civil – Property Law Act 2007, s 317 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in allowing the appeal and declining to modify covenants burdening land owned by the appellant.
Result
A By consent, an order is made substituting Synlait Milk Ltd for Stonehill Trustee Ltd as applicant subject to the conditions set out in the joint memorandum of counsel dated 6 September 2019.
B Leave to appeal is granted to Synlait Milk Ltd as applicant (New Zealand Industrial Park Ltd v Stonehill Trustee Ltd [2019] NZCA 147).
C The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to reverse the decision of the High Court (Stonehill Trustee Ltd v New Zealand Industrial Park Ltd [2018] NZHC 2938).
D The application by Synlait Milk Ltd to adduce further evidence will be determined at or after the hearing of the appeal.
E Leave is granted for the respondents to file an affidavit or affidavits responding to the evidence that Synlait Milk Ltd seeks to adduce.  Such affidavit or affidavits must be filed on or before 15 November 2019.
29 October 2019
______________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B There is no order as to costs.
22 December 2020
Transcripts
Media Releases
High Court decision
STONEHILL TRUSTEE LIMITED v NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRIAL PARK LIMITED [2018] NZHC 3436 [20 December 2018]
Court of Appeal decision
NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRIAL PARK LTD v STONEHILL TRUSTEE LTD [2019] NZCA 147 [9 May 2019]
Leave judgment - leave granted
SYNLAIT MILK LIMITED v NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRIAL PARK LIMITED [2019] NZSC 117[29 October 2019] (PDF, 36 KB)
Substantive judgment
SYNLAIT MILK LIMITED v NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRIAL PARK LIMITED [2020] NZSC 157 [22 December 2020] (PDF, 482 KB)
Transcript

Hearing date 21 October 2019

Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook and O'Regan JJ
Case name
Melanie Wichart v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 61/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining leave to bring a second appeal (in relation to admissible evidence for proving a charge of driving with excess blood alcohol and in relation to the onus of proof in relation to the expiry date of a specimen kit).
Result
A The application for an extension of time is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
27 September 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
High Court decision
WICHART v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2018] NZHC 3069 [23 November 2018]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
MELANIE WICHART v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2019] NZSC 104 [27 September 2019] (PDF, 251 KB)
Case name
R v The Queen
Case number
SC 67/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Evidence Act 2006, s 43 – Propensity – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal against conviction.
Result
A Notice of Abandonment having been filed the application for leave to appeal is deemed to be dismissed.
12 December 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
R (CA379/2018) v R [2019] NZCA 255 [26 June 2019]
Case name
K (SC 70/2019) v The Queen
Case number
SC 70/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in ruling evidence admissible at trial and dismissing appeal against conviction
Result
A An extension of time for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
26 September 2019
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
K (SC 70/2019) v R [2019] NZSC 102 [26 September 2019] (PDF, 305 KB)
Case name
Iraia Aranga Ngamotu Burton v The Queen
Case number
SC 73/2019
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether an extension of time should be granted – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the appeal to it against conviction and sentence – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in assessing the evidence, including propensity evidence and relevancy of evidence – Whether the applicant can produce new evidence before this Court – Whether there was a miscarriage of justice.
Result
The application for an extension of time is dismissed. 23 September 2019
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
BURTON v R [2018] NZCA 355 [11 October 2018]
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
IRAIA ARANGA NGAMOTU BURTON v R [2019] NZSC 101 [23 September 2019] (PDF, 54 KB)
Case name
Bryce Brougham v Christine Anne Elizabeth Regan and Mark Jefferey Tuffin as trustees of the Winchester Trust and Racheal Christina Dey
Case number
SC 104/2019
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that a standard form loan agreement was a contract of guarantee under s 27 of the Property Law Act 2007 – Whether imposing guarantee obligations on one of two guarantors named in a contract of guarantee is contingent on both named guarantors signing.
Result
A An extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B Leave to appeal is granted (Regan v Brougham [2019] NZCA 401).
C The approved ground is whether the Court of Appeal was right to allow the appeal to that Court.
12 December 2019
_________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B The orders made in the Court of Appeal are set aside and judgment is entered for the appellant.
C The respondents must pay the appellant costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements.
D The award of costs and disbursements in the lower Courts in favour of the first respondents is set aside. Such costs and disbursements should be reassessed by the Court of Appeal in light of this judgment. The award of costs in favour of the second respondent stands.
E The first respondents’ interlocutory application to adduce further evidence is dismissed. 30 October 2020
Date of hearing
09 June 2020
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan and Williams JJ
Transcripts
Media Releases
High Court decision
REGAN AND TUFFIN AS TRUSTEES OF THE WINCHESTER TRUST v BROUGHAM [2017] NZHC 1091 [24 May 2017]
Court of Appeal decision
REGAN & TUFFIN v BROUGHAM & ORS [2019] NZCA 401 [2 September 2019]
Leave judgment - leave granted
BROUGHAM v REGAN AND TUFFIN AS TRUSTEES OF THE WINCHESTER TRUST [2019] NZSC 143 [12 December 2019] (PDF, 33 KB)
Substantive judgment
BRYCE BROUGHAM v CHRISTINE ANNA ELIZABETH REGAN AND MARK JEFFEREY TUFFIN [2020] NZSC 118 [30 October 2020] (PDF, 227 KB)
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