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.
12 December 2025
Case information summary 2025 (as at 18 December 2025) – Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 18 December 2025) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 121 KB)
All years
Case name
Simon John Moffatt Hampton v Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury)
Case number
SC 128/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Resource Management Act 1991 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in their approach to the priority of resource consent applications – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in determining that there had been no derogation of the applicant’s rights – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding the applicant had no legitimate expectation that a resource consent would be granted.[2015] NZCA 509 CA 745/2013
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed
B The applicant must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent
3 May 2016
B The applicant must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondent
3 May 2016
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Malcolm Edward Rabson v Transparency International New Zealand Incorporated
Case number
SC 129/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in resurrecting an appeal deemed abandoned – Whether the Court of Appeal acted without jurisdiction in awarding costs to the respondent. [2015] NZCA 543 CA 156/2013
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. The applicant is to pay the respondent costs of $2,500. 16 February 2016 The recall application is dismissed.
15 March 2016
15 March 2016
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Recall judgment
Case name
Thomas Frederick Mazlin King and Judith Ruth King v PFL Finance Limited and Craig Becroft
Case number
SC 130/2015
Summary
Civil appeal – Receivership – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its application of s 18 of the Receivership Act 1993 and s 121 of the Property Law Act 2007 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its findings on causation of loss – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of compellability under the hearsay provisions of the Evidence Act 2006 – Whether there was oppressive enforcement of a credit contract under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003.[2015] NZCA 517 CA 74/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. If the applicants are not legally aided, costs of $2,500 are payable to the respondents. If the applicants are legally aided, we make an order under s 45(5) of the Legal Services Act 2011 that, had the applicants not been legally aided, they would have been liable for costs of $2,500. 17 February 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
The Queen v P
Case number
SC 131/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the statements made by P in his video interview after the interview recommenced at 4pm on 4 June 2014 should be admissible – Whether the evidence of the walk-through of the scene and further statements made by Mr P to police on 6 June 2014 should be admissible.[2015] NZCA 530 CA 474/2015
Result
Judgment released. Details, including result, are suppressed until final disposition of trial.
Hearing date
21 April 2016
Elias CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold, O’Regan JJ.
Judgment appealed from
P v R [2015] NZCA 530 11 Nov 2015_ not publicly available
Case name
Galvanising (HB ) Limited and others v John Howard Ross Fisk and Tony Wayne Pattison as liquidators of East Quip Limited (in liquidation)
Case number
SC 132/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Companies Act 1993, s 292 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of s 292(4B) of the Companies Act.[2015] NZCA 529 CA 69/2014
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed
B The applicants must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondents
3 May 2016
B The applicants must pay costs of $2,500 to the respondents
3 May 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
High Court decision
Case name
K v The Queen
Case number
SC 133/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether a miscarriage of justice has arisen due to delay in bringing the matter to trial – Whether the trial Judge should have given a reliability warning under s 122 of the Evidence Act 2006 [2015] NZCA 566 CA 665/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 March 2016
15 March 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
K (SC 133/2015) v R [2016] NZSC 26 15 March 2016 (PDF, 73 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Deuce Derrick Junior Evo Savage v The Queen
Case number
SC 134/2015
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Appeal against conviction – Evidence Act 2006, s 126 – Whether verdict unreasonable – Whether Trial Judge failed to direct jury appropriately on requirements to establish guilt – Whether Trial Judge gave adequate identification warning.[2015] NZCA 550 CA 611/2014
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 1 March 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Malcolm Edward Rabson v Wayne Seymour Chapman
Case number
SC 135/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to recall its earlier judgment.[2014] NZCA 158 CA 855/2012
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed. 23 February 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Robert Craig Winterburn v The Queen
Case number
SC 136/2015
Summary
Criminal appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in concluding that conviction of the applicant on some charges was not unreasonably inconsistent with acquittal on other charges – Whether the Court of Appeal erred by relying on previous warnings about an indeterminate sentence in imposing a sentence of preventive detention. [2015] NZCA 384 CA 587/2014; CA 598/2014
Result
A An extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 April 2016
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
15 April 2016
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Matthew John Young v The District Court at Hamilton
Case number
SC 137/2015
Summary
Civil Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in declining to give name suppression to the applicant. [2015] NZCA 584 CA 643/2015
Result
The application for interim order suppressing publication of the applicant’s name is dismissed.
16 December 2015
____________________
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
3 May 2017
16 December 2015
____________________
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
3 May 2017
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Supreme court decision
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