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.
4 September 2026
Case information summary (as at 4 September 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 116 KB)
Case information summary (as at 4 September 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 132 KB)
All years
Case name
Peter William Russel v The Queen
Case number
SC 3/2007
Summary
Criminal – Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1967 – trial Judge awarded costs to defendants acquitted on charges of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering brought by Serious Fraud Office – Court of Appeal majority held that High Court Judge had erred in failing to take account of risk of a substantial award inhibiting the exercise of proper prosecutorial function – whether the Court of Appeal erred in setting aside the cost award because it was “disproportionate” – whether Court of Appeal wrongly interpreted s 5(1) of the Act. CA 475/2005 6 December 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
29 May 2007
_____________________
Appeal allowed, Costs order in the High Court reinstated.
Costs to appellant in Court of Appeal, $12,000 together with reasonable expenses.
Costs to appellant in Supreme Court, $20,000 together with reasonable expenes.
29 May 2007
_____________________
Appeal allowed, Costs order in the High Court reinstated.
Costs to appellant in Court of Appeal, $12,000 together with reasonable expenses.
Costs to appellant in Supreme Court, $20,000 together with reasonable expenes.
Leave judgment - leave granted
REID And Ors V R SC 95/2006 [29 May 2007] (PDF, 17 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Substantive judgment / Media release
Case name
Peter Michael Connolly v The Queen
Case number
SC 4/2007
Summary
Criminal – Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1967 – trial Judge awarded costs to defendants acquitted on charges of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering brought by Serious Fraud Office – Court of Appeal majority held that High Court Judge had erred in failing to take account of risk of a substantial award inhibiting the exercise of proper prosecutorial function – whether the Court of Appeal erred in setting aside the cost award because it was “disproportionate” – whether Court of Appeal wrongly interpreted s 5(1) of the Act. CA 472/2005 6 December 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted. Application for leave to cross appeal dismissed.
29 May 2007
___________________________
Appeal allowed, Costs order in the High Court reinstated.
Costs to appellant in Court of Appeal, $12,000 together with reasonable expenses.
Costs to appellant in Supreme Court, $20,000 together with reasonable expenses.
29 May 2007
___________________________
Appeal allowed, Costs order in the High Court reinstated.
Costs to appellant in Court of Appeal, $12,000 together with reasonable expenses.
Costs to appellant in Supreme Court, $20,000 together with reasonable expenses.
Leave judgment - leave granted
REID And Ors V R SC 95/2006 [29 May 2007] (PDF, 17 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Substantive judgment / Media release
Transcript
Case name
Kevin Jack Ngan v The Queen
Case number
SC 5/2007
Summary
Criminal – appeal against conviction – earlier unsuccessful application for leave to appeal directly to Supreme Court (see SC 24/2006) – lawfulness of “inventory searches” – admissibility of evidence obtained through police searches of applicant’s sunglasses pouch and wallet following injury of applicant in car crash – whether Court of Appeal erred in holding that searches both lawful and reasonable and evidence therefore properly admitted. CA 220/06 1 December 2006
Result
Leave to appeal granted. 15 March 2007
Media Releases
- pressreleasengan 000 (PDF, 78 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
NGAN v R SC 5/2007 [13 December 2007] (PDF, 195 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Substantive judgment / Media release
Case name
John Donald Currie v The Queen
Case number
SC 7/2007
Summary
Criminal – Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1967 – trial Judge awarded costs to defendants acquitted on charges of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering brought by Serious Fraud Office – Court of Appeal majority held that High Court Judge had erred in failing to take account of risk of a substantial award inhibiting the exercise of proper prosecutorial function – whether the Court of Appeal erred in setting aside the cost award because it was “disproportionate” – whether Court of Appeal wrongly interpreted s 5(1) of the Act.CA 473/2005 6 December 2006
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted. Application for leave to cross appeal dismissed.
29 May 2007
_________________________
Appeal allowed, Costs order in the High Court reinstated.
Costs to appellant in Court of Appeal, $12,000 together with reasonable expenses.
In Supreme Court, reasonable expenses as may be fixed by the Registrar.
14 November 2007
29 May 2007
_________________________
Appeal allowed, Costs order in the High Court reinstated.
Costs to appellant in Court of Appeal, $12,000 together with reasonable expenses.
In Supreme Court, reasonable expenses as may be fixed by the Registrar.
14 November 2007
Leave judgment - leave granted
REID And Ors V R SC 95/2006 [29 May 2007] (PDF, 17 KB)
Substantive judgment / Media release
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Case name
Unison Networks Limited v The Commerce Commission
Case number
SC 12/2007
Summary
Civil Appeal – appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision that revised price-related thresholds set by the Commerce Commission were lawful and the Court’s refusal to exercise its discretion to grant relief in relation to initial unlawful thresholds – whether the Court of Appeal erred in law by failing to consider whether the Commerce Commission misdirected itself and therefore erred in finding the revised thresholds to be lawful – whether the Court erred in law by finding that the revised thresholds met the statutory purpose and were thus lawful – whether it is appropriate for the Court to decline relief where a statutory body has acted outside the statutory process – whether the Court erred by failing to consider other types of relief. CA 284/05 19 December 2006
Result
Leave to appeal granted.
27 March 2007
____________________
Appeal dismissed.
Unison is ordered to pay the Commission costs of $25,000 plus reasonable disbursements to be fixed if necessary by the Registrar. Costs in the Court of Appeal and High Court are to be determined by those Courts in light of this judgment.
10 September 2007
27 March 2007
____________________
Appeal dismissed.
Unison is ordered to pay the Commission costs of $25,000 plus reasonable disbursements to be fixed if necessary by the Registrar. Costs in the Court of Appeal and High Court are to be determined by those Courts in light of this judgment.
10 September 2007
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment /Media release
Transcription
Hearing date : 18 and 20 June 2007
Blanchard J, Tipping J, McGrath J, Anderson J and Gault J.
Blanchard J, Tipping J, McGrath J, Anderson J and Gault J.
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Waitara Leaseholders Association Inc v New Plymouth District Council
Case number
SC 23/2007
Summary
Civil –Whether the Court of Appeal erred in concluding that land was not held on a charitable trust and that the Council was not subject to the obligations of charitable trustees – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding the Council was not obliged to consider the objects of the statutory trusts when deciding to seek legislation to remove trust restrictions – whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that compliance with section 14(6) of the Trustee Act 1956 relieves a trustee from its obligation of obtaining the best price for an asset – whether the Supreme Court should grant leave to pursue a new ground, namely that the Council failed to take into account the fact that its decisions were contrary to previous promises and assurances that it had made.CA 259/05 CA 260/05 20 March 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed with costs $2,500 to the respondent.
20 June 2007
20 June 2007
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Kurt John Owen v The Queen
Case number
SC 25/2007
Summary
Criminal – appeal against conviction – whether discretion to consider appeals on the basis of unreasonable verdicts has been unduly restricted – complaint about the adequacy of summing up by trial judge – emotive summing up by prosecution – direction by trial judge concerning prosecution’s comment on the right to silence – trial judge’ s use of the transcript – whether Court of Appeal was correct to hold that overall there was no miscarriage of justice.CA 342/06 21 March 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
29 June 2006
________________________
Appeal dismissed.
11 December 2007
29 June 2006
________________________
Appeal dismissed.
11 December 2007
Media Releases
- mediarelease owen (PDF, 87 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
OWEN V R SC 25/2007 [11 December 2007] (PDF, 57 KB)
Transcript
Substantive judgment / Media release
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Dollars and Sense Finance Limited v Rerekohu Nathan
Case number
SC 31/2007
Summary
Summary Civil appeal – enforceability of a registered mortgage – borrower forged the signature of one of the sureties, his mother, on the mortgage documents – lender’s solicitor had delivered the mortgage documents to the borrower to procure the signatures and express informed consent of the sureties – whether the borrower was the agent of the lender – whether the borrower’s fraud can be attributed to the lender – whether the surety has an in personam claim against the lender. CA 107/05 4 May 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
29 June 2007
______________________
Appeal dismissed with costs of $15,000 and reasonable disbursements to the respondent.
8 April 2008
29 June 2007
______________________
Appeal dismissed with costs of $15,000 and reasonable disbursements to the respondent.
8 April 2008
Leave judgment - leave granted
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Substantive judgment / Media release
Case name
Ben Nevis Forestry Ventures Limited, Bristol Forestry Ventures Limited, Clive Richard Bradbury, Greenmass Limited, Gregory Alan Peebles and Estate of the Late Kenneth John Laird v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 43/2007
Summary
Civil – income tax appeals – designated as test cases by Commissioner – all appellants investors in “Trinity” forestry scheme – whether Court of Appeal erred in upholding Commissioner’s assessments – correct approach to application of Peterson v CIR [2006] 3 NZLR 433 – whether appellants’ investment in scheme a tax avoidance arrangement within meaning of ss BB 9 and BG 1 of the Income Tax Act 1994 – whether insurance premiums required to be spread under accruals rules – whether Commissioner’s power to reconstruct arrangements to eliminate improper tax advantage exercised correctly – whether appellants took an abusive tax position – whether application of penalties to the appellants wrong in law and excessive.CA 21/05 11 June 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
9 October 2007
____________________
Appeal dismissed. Costs to the respondent.
19 December 2008
9 October 2007
____________________
Appeal dismissed. Costs to the respondent.
19 December 2008
Media Releases
- MR [2008] NZSC 115 (PDF, 89 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
Substantive judgment
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Hearing date : 8 February 2008
Hearing date : 23 – 27 June 2008
Elias CJ, Tipping, McGrath Gault, Anderson JJ
Substantive judgment / Media release
Case name
Accent Management Limited, Lexington Resources Limited, and Redcliffe Forestry Ventures Limited v Commissioner of Inland Revenue
Case number
SC 44/2007
Summary
Civil – income tax appeals – designated as test cases by Commissioner – all appellants investors in “Trinity” forestry scheme – whether Court of Appeal erred in upholding Commissioner’s assessments – correct approach to application of Peterson v CIR [2006] 3 NZLR 433 – whether appellants’ investment in scheme a tax avoidance arrangement within meaning of ss BB 9 and BG 1 of the Income Tax Act 1994 – whether insurance premiums required to be spread under accruals rules – whether Commissioner’s power to reconstruct arrangements to eliminate improper tax advantage exercised correctly – whether appellants took an abusive tax position – whether application of penalties to the appellants wrong in law and excessive.CA 21/05 11 June 2007
Result
Application for leave to appeal granted.
9 October 2007
_____________________
Appeal dismissed. Costs to the respondent.
19 December 2008
9 October 2007
_____________________
Appeal dismissed. Costs to the respondent.
19 December 2008
Media Releases
- MR [2008] NZSC 115 (PDF, 89 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Recall judgment
Supreme court decision
Substantive judgment
Substantive judgment /Media release
Transcript
Hearing date : 8 February 2008
Hearing date : 8 – 10 July 2008
Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath , Anderson JJ
Judgment appealed from
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