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
J (SC 64/2024) v The King
Case number
SC 64/2024
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.
21 May 2025
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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
P (SC 66/2024) v The King
Case number
SC 66/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
A The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
B We make an order prohibiting publication of this judgment until 2.00 pm on 22 October 2024.
8 October 2024
High Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Case name
Layne Brent Ford v The King
Case number
SC 67/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
18 September 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Seiana Fakaosilea v The King
Case number
SC 68/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
9 October 2024
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v The Privacy Commissioner
Case number
SC 69/2024
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.
28 November 2024
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
Christopher Joseph O'Neill v Registrar of the Supreme Court
Case number
SC 70/2024
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.
28 November 2024
Court of Appeal decision
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
Case name
T (SC 71/2024) v The King
Case number
SC 71/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed.
3 October 2024
District Court decision
Not publicly available
Court of Appeal decision
Not publicly available
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
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
Gabriel Yad-Elohim v The King
Case number
SC 73/2024
Summary
Criminal Appeal - Application for leave to bring an appeal
Result
The application for leave to appeal is dismissed, without prejudice to Mr Yad-Elohim’s right to seek leave to appeal after the Court of Appeal has considered any recall application.
6 December 2024
Leave judgment - leave dismissed