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
Kyle Ashley Kotze v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 79/2022
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for an extention of time to apply for leave to appeal is dismissed.
31 October 2022
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Jeremy James McGuire v Secretary for Justice
Case number
SC 4/2021
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 respondent costs of $2,500.
18 March 2021
Case name
Trevor James Murray v West Coast Holdings Limited
Case number
SC 13/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
3 June 2021
__________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 3 June 2021 (Murray v West Coast Holdings Ltd [2021] NZSC 55) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
9 September 2021
Case name
Peter Gomm, Jennifer Mary Shipley and Clive William Charles Tilby v Mainzeal Property and Construction Limited (in liquidation), Andrew James Bethell, Richard Ciliang Yan and Andrew McKay
Case number
SC 52/2021
Summary
Civil Appeal and Cross Appeal
Result
A The appeals by the directors are dismissed.
B The cross-appeal by the liquidators is allowed to the extent that in lieu of the remittal of the proceedings back to the High Court, we order the directors to contribute to the assets of Mainzeal $39.8 million together with interest at prescribed rates since 28 February 2013 with the liabilities of Dame Jennifer Shipley and Messrs Tilby and Gomm each limited to $6.6 million and interest.
C The directors are to pay costs in the sum of $65,000 together with reasonable disbursements.
25 August 2023
Date of hearing
07 March 2022 - 11 March 2022
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan and Ellen France JJ
Case name
Colin Craig v Rachel Joy MacGregor
Case number
SC 61/2021
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 respondent costs of $2,500.
9 September 2021
Case name
Craig Lee McDonald v The District Court at Christchurch
Case number
SC 97/2021
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.
5 November 2021
Case name
Keanu Head, James Logie Wright, Samuel Gregory, Rebecca Langford, Ashleigh Crichton, Tamara Joan Evans, Dylan Crook and Wendy Kain v Chief Executive of the Inland Revenue Department and Madison Recruitment Limited
Case number
SC 131/2021
Summary
Civil 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.
C The applicants must pay each respondent costs of $2,500.
2 March 2022
Case name
Stephen James Henare v The Queen
Case number
SC 44/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
16 September 2020
Case name
Glenn William Schaeffer v James Joseph Murren as Trustee of the James J Murren Spendthrift Trust and and Daniel Lee
Case number
SC 50/2020
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 the respondents costs of $2,500.
22 September 2020
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Jeremy James McGuire v New Zealand Law Society
Case number
SC 55/2020
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 the respondent costs of $2,500.
20 October 2020
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available