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 - Application for leave to bring an appeal
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
4 September 2025
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
28 August 2025
Civil Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted (Chief Executive of Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment v Hairland Holdings Ltd [2025] NZCA 219).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to allow the appeal on the basis that the Employment Relations Authority does not have jurisdiction to hear an application, brought by a purported employer against the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Labour Inspector and/or its workers, for a bare declaration that its workers are not employees under s 6(1) of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
1 October 2025
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Appellant's submissions (PDF, 283 KB)
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Respondent's submissions (PDF, 459 KB)
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Transcript (PDF, 332 KB)
- Hearing date 5 May 2026 Case Synopsis (PDF, 444 KB)
PURSUANT TO S 182 OF THE FAMILY VIOLENCE ACT 2018, ANY REPORT OF THIS PROCEEDING MUST COMPLY WITH SS 11B, 11C AND 11D OF THE FAMILY COURT ACT 1980. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE https://www.justice.govt.nz/family/family-court/after-the-family-court/restrictions-on-publishing-information/
23 September 2025
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
A The application for leave to adduce further evidence is
dismissed.
B The application for leave to file submissions in reply on the
above application is dismissed.
C Costs are reserved.
15 October 2025
_________________________________________________
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicants must pay the respondent one set of costs of $2,500.
21 November 2025
Criminal Appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted in part (Watson v R [2025] NZCA 455). The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to conclude no miscarriage of justice arose from the decision of the trial Judge to admit the visual identification evidence of Guy Wallace.
B The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.
10 March 2026
ORDER PROHIBITING PUBLICATION OF THE JUDGMENT AND ANY PART OF THE PROCEEDINGS (INCLUDING THE RESULT) IN NEWS MEDIA OR ON THE INTERNET OR OTHER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATABASE UNTIL FINAL DISPOSITION OF RETRIAL. PUBLICATION IN LAW REPORT OR LAW DIGEST PERMITTED.
A The appeal is allowed.
B The convictions are quashed and a retrial is ordered.
C Any bail application should be made to the District Court.
D We make an order prohibiting publication of the name, address, occupation or identifying particulars of the appellant until final disposition of retrial pursuant to s 200(2)(d) of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011.
11 June 2026
- MR [2026] NZSC 76 & [2026] NZSC 77 (PDF, 287 KB)
Civil appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
A The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B The applications to file reply submissions are dismissed.
C The applications for stay of execution are dismissed.
D The application to admit new evidence is dismissed.
E The first applicant must pay each respondent costs of $2,500.
1 May 2026
_________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgments of 1 May 2026 (Chen v Goodmore Investments (New Zealand) Ltd [2026] NZSC 40) and 8 May 2026 (Chen v Goodmore Investments (New Zealand) Ltd [2026] NZSC 54) is dismissed.
B The first applicant must pay the respondent in SC 175/2025 and SC 2/2026 costs of $1,200.
C The Registrar is directed not to accept for filing any further applications for recall in this proceeding.
26 May 2026
______________________________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 1 May 2026 (Chen v Goodmore Investments (New Zealand) Ltd [2026] NZSC 40) is dismissed.
8 May 2026
Civil appeal - application for leave to bring an appeal
A The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B The applications to file reply submissions are dismissed.
C The applications for stay of execution are dismissed.
D The application to admit new evidence is dismissed.
E The first applicant must pay each respondent costs of $2,500.
1 May 2026
____________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgments of 1 May 2026 (Chen v Goodmore Investments (New Zealand) Ltd [2026] NZSC 40) and 8 May 2026 (Chen v Goodmore Investments (New Zealand) Ltd [2026] NZSC 54) is dismissed.
B The first applicant must pay the respondent in SC 175/2025 and SC 2/2026 costs of $1,200.
C The Registrar is directed not to accept for filing any further applications for recall in this proceeding.
26 May 2026
______________________________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 1 May 2026 (Chen v Goodmore Investments (New Zealand) Ltd [2026] NZSC 40) is dismissed.
8 May 2026
Civil appeal
A Leave to appeal is granted in part (Estate of Ruru v Attorney- General [2025] NZCA 597).
B The approved questions are:
(a) whether the Court of Appeal erred in its approach to the requirements for resumption in s 8HB of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975; and
(b) whether the Court of Appeal erred in its approach to the Waitangi Tribunal’s discretion to award compensation under sch 1 of the Crown Forest Assets Act 1989.
C The application for leave to appeal is otherwise dismissed.
10 June 2026