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

Case name
Francis Anthony Jew and Lilian Gail Godfrey as executors of the will of the late Eric Schroder and trustees of the Clevedon Trust.
Case number
SC CIV 1/2004
Summary
Challenge to court directions on trustees' duties in respect of Family Protection Act appeal where the trust is residuary beneficiary in the estate. CA 241/03 26 February 2004
Result
Leave to appeal refused. 6 May 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
FRANCIS ANTHONY JEW and LILIAN GAIL GODFREY, as Executors of the Will of the late ERIC SCHRODER and trustees of the CLEVEDON TRUST v SUSAN CATHERINE SCHRODER SC CIV 1 200 (PDF, 20 KB)
Judgment appealed from
not publicly available
Case name
Te Runanga O Muriwhenua v Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission; The Attorney-General of New Zealand; The Minister of Fisheries; Te Kotahitanga O Te Arawa Fisheries Trust and Te Runanaga O Ngai Tahu
Case number
SC CIV 8/2004
Summary
Judicial review - allocation of assets provided in settlement of Maori commercial fishing claims - whether the final allocation model proposed by the Commission in its final report He Kawai Amokaura is unreasonable - whether the allocation model should have taken into account alleged inequities deriving from the way quota was managed by the Commission from 1990 onwards - whether the consultation undertaken by the Commission leading up to its final report on this issue was sufficient. CA 73/04 30 June 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 23 September 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TE RUNANGA O MURIWHENUA INCORPORATED V TREATY OF WAITANGI FISHERIESCOMMISSION And Anor SC SC CIV 8/04 [23 September 2004] (PDF, 17 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Whata-Wickliffe v Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission [2004] NZCA 113
Case name
Ngahuia Reihana Whanau Trust v Mavis & Earl Flight and Ngahuia Kakahi Reihana Trust.
Case number
SC CIV 20/2004
Summary
Civil appeal - Whether an earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal should have been recalled - Whether the applicant was able, in the earlier hearing, to present adequate arguments in relation to the central legal principle. CA23/03 26 July 2004
Result
Leave to appeal declined. 8 November 2004
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
NGAHUIA REIHANA WHANAU TRUST V FLIGHT And Anor SC SC CIV 20/2004 8 November 2004 (PDF, 8 KB)
Judgment appealed from

NGAHUIA REIHANA WHANAU TRUST V FLIGHT And Anor CA CA23/03 26 July 2004
Case name
Alison Mary Davidson v ASB Bank Ltd.
Case number
SC CIV 21/2004
Summary
Civil appeal - whether public policy should prevent recovery under an indemnification agreement against a trustee personally when the principal debt is unenforceable against the Trust - whether unenforceable debt falls within indemnification clause. CA95/03 8 October 2004
Result
Notice of abandonment being lodged, the application for leave to appeal is deemed to be dismissed. 9 December 2004
Judgment appealed from

ASB BANK LTD V DAVIDSON And Ors CA CA95/03 8 October 2004
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