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
Te Wakaminenga o Nga Hapu ki Waitangi v Waitangi National Trust Board
Case number
SC 60/2024
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.
8 July 2024
Case name
Bartholomaeus Roland Lassnig v Qian Zhou and Qian Zhou and Bartholomaeus Roland Lassnig as Trustees of the Lassnig Family Trust
Case number
SC 65/2024
Summary

Civil Appeal

Result

A Leave to appeal is granted (Zhou v Lassnig [2024] NZCA 177).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct in its analysis under s 182 of the Family Proceedings Act 1980.
17 September 2024
_______________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed. The orders made by the Court of Appeal as to the resettlement of the Trust stand.
B The appellant must pay the first respondent costs of $30,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel.
15 September 2025

Date of hearing
04 March 2025
Judges
Glazebrook, Ellen France, Williams, Kós and Miller JJ
Case name
Allan Geoffrey Halse v Rangiura Trust Board, Norris Ward McKinnon Limited, Samuel Wallace Hood and Erin Rebekah Anderson
Case number
SC 72/2024
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the second, third and fourth respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
24 October 2024
_________________________________________
The application for recall is dismissed.
19 December 2024_________________________________________A The application for recall is dismissed.
B The Registrar is instructed not to accept any further application related to this matter.                                    20 February 2025
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Anthony James Rea and Judith Mary Rea as trustees of the Waiatarua Trust v Auckland Council
Case number
SC 83/2024
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 costs of $2,500.
6 November 2024
Case name
Tadd Management LTD v Ruth Renton Weine and Michael David Hoffmann-Body as Trustees of the Ruth Weine Family Trust
Case number
SC 87/2024
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.
20 December 2024
Case name
Quentin Stobart Haines, BPE Trustees (No 1) Limited and Quentin Haines Properties Limited v Harry Memelink and Cisca Forester as Trustees of the Link Trust No 1 (in Receivership)
Case number
SC 100/2024
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for stay is dismissed.
B The applicants must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
16 October 2024
_________________________________
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed
B The applicants must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
28 November 2024
Case name
Kaimai Properties Limited and Bartons Kaimai Farm Limited v Queen Elizabeth the Second National Trust and Registrar-General of Land
Case number
SC 139/2024
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 first respondent one set of costs of $2,500.
08 April 2025
Case name
Danella Tapahinga Roebeck and Ngāti Paoa Trust Board v Attorney-General and Glen Andrew Tupuhi and ors as Trustees of the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust
Case number
SC 10/2023
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 respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
31 July 2023
Case name
James Hay Wallace and McLean's Mansion Charitable Trust v The King
Case number
SC 31/2023
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A) The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed.
B) Order continuing suppression of the applicants’ names, addresses, occupations and any identifying particulars on the terms set out at [15] until 2 pm on 28 June 2023.
Suppression will lapse at that time.
26 June 2023
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Te Whānau a Kai Trust v Gisborne District Council
Case number
SC 36/2023
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 The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
29 June 2023