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
M v Attorney General (in respect of the Ministry of Health), Waitemata District Health Board and Capital and Coast District Health Board
Case number
SC 82/2020
Summary
Civil Appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is granted in part (M (CA677/2017) v Attorney-General [2020] NZCA 311).
B The approved question is:
Was the applicant detained unlawfully after 20 December 2008 because the direction of the Attorney-General under s 31(4) of the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003 that he be detained as a care recipient under the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003 was not issued until 14 January 2009, and, if so, for how long?
C In all other respects the application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
16 December 2020
The application for reconsideration of the approved question on which leave was given in this Court’s judgment of 16 December 2020 (M (SC 82/2020) v Attorney-General [2020] NZSC 145) is dismissed.
23 March 2021
____________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B A declaration is made that the appellant was detained unlawfully from 21 December 2008 until 14 January 2009.
17 September 2021
B The approved question is:
Was the applicant detained unlawfully after 20 December 2008 because the direction of the Attorney-General under s 31(4) of the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003 that he be detained as a care recipient under the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003 was not issued until 14 January 2009, and, if so, for how long?
C In all other respects the application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
16 December 2020
The application for reconsideration of the approved question on which leave was given in this Court’s judgment of 16 December 2020 (M (SC 82/2020) v Attorney-General [2020] NZSC 145) is dismissed.
23 March 2021
____________________________________________________________
A The appeal is allowed.
B A declaration is made that the appellant was detained unlawfully from 21 December 2008 until 14 January 2009.
17 September 2021
Date of hearing
27 April 2021
Judges
Winkelmann CJ, William Young, O'Regan, Ellen France and Williams JJ
Transcripts
- Hearing date 27 April 2021 (PDF, 372 KB)
Media Releases
- MR [2021] NZSC 118 (PDF, 195 KB)
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave granted
Additional document
Substantive judgment
Case name
Michael John Denney v The Queen
Case number
SC 83/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for recall of this Court’s judgment of 9 June 2017 (Denney v R [2017] NZSC 85) is dismissed.
22 December 2020
22 December 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v Andrew Bridgman, Tania Ott and Carl Crafar
Case number
SC 84/2020
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 first, second and third respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
18 December 2020
B The applicant must pay the first, second and third respondents one set of costs of $2,500.
18 December 2020
High Court decision
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Xiang Su v The Queen
Case number
SC 85/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is dismissed.
22 December 2020
22 December 2020
High Court decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
XIANG SU v R [2020] NZSC 156 [22 December 2020] (PDF, 49 KB)
Court of Appeal decision
Case name
Margaret Ann Wootton v Phillip Garry Wootton
Case number
SC 86/2020
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for a stay pending determination of the applicant’s application for leave to appeal to this Court against the judgment of the Court of Appeal (Wootton v Wootton [2020] NZCA 478) is dismissed.
B There is no order as to costs.
29 October 2020
______________________________
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
11 December 2020
B There is no order as to costs.
29 October 2020
______________________________
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B The applicant must pay the respondent costs of $2,500.
11 December 2020
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Additional document
Appplication for stay pending determination (PDF, 45 KB)
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
WOOTTON v WOOTTON [2020] NZSC 142 [11 December 2020] (PDF, 45 KB)
Case name
Robert Frank Terry v New Zealand Police
Case number
SC 87/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
18 December 2020
18 December 2020
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Te Iwi Ngaro Rameka v The Queen
Case number
SC 88/2020
Summary
Civil Appeal - Application for leave to bring civil appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
10 December 2020
10 December 2020
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Daniel Paul Van Houten v R
Case number
SC 89/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring a pre-trial appeal.
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B We make an order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result)
in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of trial. Publication in a
law report or digest is permitted.
10 November 2020
B We make an order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result)
in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of trial. Publication in a
law report or digest is permitted.
10 November 2020
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
P v The Queen
Case number
SC 90/2020
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for an extension of time to apply for leave to appeal is granted.
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
8 December 2020
B The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
8 December 2020
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
P (SC 90/2020) v R [2020] NZSC 138 [8 December 2020] (PDF, 48 KB)
Case name
W v S, H L and L
Case number
SC 91/2020
Summary
Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of rmetrial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
Result
Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of rmetrial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted. 26 November 2020
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
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