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
Jeremy James McGuire v Comissioner of Inland Revenue and District Court at Palmerston North
Case number
SC 11/2026
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 first respondent costs of $2,500. 
07 May 2026

Case name
Anthony James Scully v Madeline Carol Holland
Case number
SC 14/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A The application for leave to file submissions in reply is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.     
26 June 2026

Case name
Grayson James Ottaway v The King
Case number
SC 25/2026
Summary

Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

The applications for an extension of time to file the applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
21 May 2026
_____________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 21 May 2026 (Vortac NZ Ltd v R [2026] NZSC 59) is dismissed.
1 July 2026

District Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Gillian James Gatfield and Emma Jacqueline Pearson v Anne Elizabeth Hinton as executor and trustee of the estates of Jacqueline Mary Gatfield and Kenneth Miles Gatfield
Case number
SC 30/2026
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 respondent and the interested parties one set of costs of $2,500.
22 May 2026

Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
James Donellan
Case number
SC 34/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Case name
Patrick James Foley v ASB Bank Ltd and Colin Anthony Gower and Diana Clare Matchett
Case number
SC 60/2026
Summary

Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Case name
Lynette Mills, Carl James Peterson and The Peterson/Mills Partnership v Kelly Dalzell, Tracey Howard Levenbach, ASB Bank Limited, Graham Howard Mills, John Levenbach, Carol Krammer, Holland Beckett Law, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Morgan Coakle Lawyers, Assoc
Case number
SC 9/2025
Summary

Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal

Result

A The applications for leave to file amended and further submissions are dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
C The applicants must pay the represented respondents one set of costs of $2,500.                        
17 June 2025

Case name
Rebecca Elizabeth Lane v Anne Veronica Goldson and Benjamin James Goldson, as executors of the Estate of Donald Algernon Gifford
Case number
SC 32/2025
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.
23 July 2025

Case name
James John McConnor v Auckland Transport and Baycorp (NZ) Ltd
Case number
SC 50/2025
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.
1 August 2025

Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Stephen James Henare v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 60/2025
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 respondent costs of $2,500.
4 August 2025