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.
17 August 2026
Case information summary (as at 17 August 2026) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary (as at 17 August 2026) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 128 KB)
All years
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
B The applicants must pay the respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
31 July 2023
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Limited v Wellington City Council
Case number
SC 11/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Limited v Wellington City Council [2022] NZCA 624).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was right to conclude that the Building Act longstop provisions do not apply to a contribution claim.
21 April 2024
_________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The claim by Wellington City Council against Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd is not time-barred.
C The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel. 18 September 2024
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was right to conclude that the Building Act longstop provisions do not apply to a contribution claim.
21 April 2024
_________________________________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The claim by Wellington City Council against Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd is not time-barred.
C The appellant must pay the respondent costs of $25,000 plus usual disbursements. We allow for second counsel. 18 September 2024
Date of hearing
18 October 2023
Judges
Glazebrook, O’Regan, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Appellant submissions (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Appellant Roadmap (PDF, 150 KB)
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Respondent submissions (PDF, 1.1 MB)
Transcripts
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 18 October 2023 Case Synopsis (PDF, 380 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2024] NZSC 117 (PDF, 275 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
Videos
- SC 11 2023 Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd v Wellington City Council (Recorded, 18 October 2023)
Case name
MC (SC 17/2023) v Family Court at Manukau and Chief Executive of Oranga Tamariki | Ministry for Children
Case number
SC 17/2023
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 against the High Court judgment (MC v Family Court at Manukau [2022] NZHC 870) is dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgment (MC (CA266/2022) v Manukau Family Court [2022] NZCA 571) is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the second respondent costs of $2,500.
15 May 2023
B The application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgment (MC (CA266/2022) v Manukau Family Court [2022] NZCA 571) is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the second respondent costs of $2,500.
15 May 2023
High Court decision
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
DFT v Auckland High Court, Attorney-General and New Zealand Law Society
Case number
SC 18/2023
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 to each of the second and third respondents costs of $1,250.
17 May 2023
__________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall (DFT v Auckland High Court [2023] NZSC 57) is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay to each of the second and third respondents costs of $500.
29 June 2023
B The applicant must pay to each of the second and third respondents costs of $1,250.
17 May 2023
__________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall (DFT v Auckland High Court [2023] NZSC 57) is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay to each of the second and third respondents costs of $500.
29 June 2023
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
DFT v AUCKLAND HIGH COURT [2023] NZSC 78 [29 June 2023] (PDF, 191 KB)
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v Emma Marion Gibbs
Case number
SC 22/2023
Summary
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
5 April 2023
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
5 April 2023
Result
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
S (SC 24/2023) v Attorney-General and District Court at Auckland
Case number
SC 24/2023
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.
18 July 2023
________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 18 July 2023 (S (SC 24/2023) v Attorney-General [2023] NZSC 86) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
23 August 2023
B There is no order as to costs.
18 July 2023
________________________________________________________________
A The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 18 July 2023 (S (SC 24/2023) v Attorney-General [2023] NZSC 86) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
23 August 2023
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Supreme court decision
Case name
Cresswell v Roberts
Case number
SC 28/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The applications for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal Roberts v Cresswell [2022] NZCA 625 and the Court of Appeal’s decision declining the application to adjourn the substantive hearing are dismissed.
B The application for leave to appeal (Roberts v Cresswell [2023] NZCA 36) is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
25 May 2023
B The application for leave to appeal (Roberts v Cresswell [2023] NZCA 36) is dismissed.
C There is no order as to costs.
25 May 2023
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CRESSWELL v ROBERTS [2023] NZSC 62 [25 May 2023] (PDF, 214 KB)
Case name
Tanya Felicity Dunstan v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 29/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The application for recusal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
17 May 2023
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 17 May 2023 (Dunstan v New Zealand Police [2023] NZSC 58) is dismissed.
21 June 2023
B The application for recusal is dismissed.
C The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
17 May 2023
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 17 May 2023 (Dunstan v New Zealand Police [2023] NZSC 58) is dismissed.
21 June 2023
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Zhong Xing v Jicai Li and Fang Yu and Ors
Case number
SC 30/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
19 June 2023
______________________________________________________________
The applicant must pay the first to seventeenth and nineteenth respondents one set of costs of $1,000. 19 July 2023
19 June 2023
______________________________________________________________
The applicant must pay the first to seventeenth and nineteenth respondents one set of costs of $1,000. 19 July 2023
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Supreme court decision
Case name
Raewyn Phyllis Cooper v Marcus Robert William Pinney
Case number
SC 32/2023
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted (Cooper v Pinney [2023] NZCA 62).
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the applicant’s appeal to that Court.
3 July 2023
_______________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
20 December 2024
B The approved question is whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss the applicant’s appeal to that Court.
3 July 2023
_______________________________
A The appeal is dismissed.
B Costs are reserved.
20 December 2024
Date of hearing
01 November 2023
- 02 November 2023
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, Glazebrook, Ellen France, Williams and Kós JJ
Submissions from counsel
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Appellant Submissions (PDF, 451 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 Nov 2023 Appellant Chronology (PDF, 199 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Appellant oral outline (PDF, 167 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Respondent Submissions (PDF, 1 MB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Respondent Oral Outline (PDF, 246 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Interested Party Submissions (PDF, 292 KB)
- Hearing 1 and 2 November 2023 Interested Party Oral Outline (PDF, 358 KB)
Transcripts
- Hearing date 1 - 2 November 2023 Transcript (PDF, 1 MB)
Case Synopses
- Hearing date 1 and 2 November 2023 (PDF, 452 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2024] NZSC 181 (PDF, 310 KB)
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
COOPER v PINNEY [2024] NZSC 181 [20 December 2024] (PDF, 582 KB)
Videos
- SC 32/2023 Raewyn Phyllis Cooper v Marcus Robert William Pinney (Recorded, 2 November 2023)
- SC 32/2023 Raewyn Phyllis Cooper v Marcus Robert William Pinney (Recorded, 1 November 2023)
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