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.

28 November 2025

Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025) –  Cases where leave granted (PDF, 87 KB)
Case information summary 2025 (as at 28 November 2025)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 120 KB)

All years

Case name
John Kenneth Slavich v The Attorney-General
Case number
SC 94/2013
Summary
Civil – Security for costs – Whether it is in the interests of justice to waive payment – Whether Court of Appeal correctly declined to review the Registrar’s decision to require security for costs – Whether Court of Appeal correctly concluded that applicant’s appeals had no merit – Whether Court of Appeal Judge had a conflict of interest.[2013] NZCA 356  CA 165/2013  CA 197/2013
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
Costs to the respondent $2,5000 plus reasonable disbursements.
26 November 2013.
_________________________________________________________
The applications for an amendment of the judgment of 26 November 2013 and its recall are declined.
19 March 2014. The application for recall is dismissed.
1 May 2014.
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2013] NZSC 130 [26 November 2013] (PDF, 53 KB)
Additional document
Applications for amendment of the judgment of 26 Nov 2013 and its recall are declined (PDF, 38 KB)
Recall judgment
JOHN KENNETH SLAVICH v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2014] NZSC 46 [1 May 2014] (PDF, 52 KB)
Case name
Wiremu Kingi v Jillian Naera and others
Case number
SC 95/2013
Summary
Civil Appeal – Maori land law – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in its interpretation of cl 3(a) of the Trust Order by finding that it empowered the trustees to enter into the Tikitere Project without reference to the owners of the land – Alternatively, if the interpretation of cl 3(a) given by the courts below is correct, whether it was within the power of the Maori Land Court to issue such a Trust Order under s 226(1) of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993. NZCA 353  CA 542/2011
Result
A The application by Jillian Naera, Kereama Pene, Anaha Morehu, Warwick Morehu    and Eric Hodge for leave to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal of 8 August 2013 is declined.
B The application by Pirihira Fenwick, Wiremu Kingi and Hiwinui Heke for leave to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal of 8 August 2013 is granted.  The questions for determination on the appeal are:

1. Was the Court of Appeal correct to hold that the Tikitere Project Agreement was voidable because three of the trustees were beneficially interested in other trusts which were parties to the Agreement?
2. If so, was the Court of Appeal correct to hold that the remedy of rescission could be withheld only if third party interests were affected or should it have required general inquiry into whether rescission was in all the circumstances appropriate?

C No order for costs on the applications is made. 19 May 2014 __________________ A  The appeal is allowed in part and the matter remitted to the Maori Land Court to decide on the conflicts and on the consequences of a breach of s 227A of the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 in light of this judgment. B  The reasonable costs and disbursements of the first respondents are to be paid by the Whakapoungakau 24 Ahu Whenua Trust (the Tikitere Trust). C  The question of costs in the Maori Land Court, the Maori Appellate Court and the Court of Appeal should (if an application is made) be considered by those Courts in light of this judgment. 20 May 2015
Media Releases
Leave judgment - leave granted
NAERA and OTHERS v FENWICK and OTHERS [2014] NZSC 58 [19 May 2014 (PDF, 80 KB)
Substantive judgment
PIRIHIRA FENWICK, WIREMU KINGI AND HIWINUI HEKE v JILLIAN NAERA, KEREAMA PENE, ANAHA MOREHU, WARWICK MOREHU AND ERIC HODGE [2015] NZSC 68 [20 May 2015] (PDF, 559 KB)
Transcript

Hearing date : 18  November 2014

McGrath, William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold, Blanchard JJ
Case name
Maka Tuikolovatu v the Queen
Case number
SC 96/2013
Summary
Criminal appeal – Appeal against conviction – Murder / Accessory after the fact – Crimes Act 1961, s 167(b) and (d) – Whether trial Judge misdirected jury by referring to degrees of murder – Whether Court of Appeal correct to conclude there was no miscarriage of justice. [2013] NZCA 282  CA 527/2012
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
SHADROCK v R [2013] NZSC 96 [9 October 2013] (PDF, 64 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

9 October 2013
Case name
Najeeb Dawood Dawood v the Queen
Case number
SC 97/2013
Summary
Criminal – Sentence – s 104 Crimes Act 1961 – whether a sentence of a minimum term of 17 years imprisonment was manifestly unjust in the circumstances.   [2013] NZCA 381  CA 109/2013
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
NAJEEB DAWOOD DAWOOD v R [2013] NZSC 118 [13 November 2013] (PDF, 43 KB)
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

13 November 2013
Case name
PPT v The Queen
Case number
SC 98/2013
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in law by ruling that the propensity evidence is admissible.[2013] NZCA 365  CA 276/2012, CA 426/2013
Dates

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

15 October 2013
Case name
V v The Queen
Case number
SC 99/2013
Summary
Criminal – Appeal against Conviction – Appeal out of time – Historic offending – Representative counts of rape, sexual violation and indecent assault – Self-representation at Court of Appeal hearing resulted in a substantial miscarriage of justice – Failure to make oral submissions at hearing – Difficulties with memory hindered ability to conduct appeal – Breach of s 25(h) of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.[2012] NZCA 14  CA 107/2008
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
V (SC99/2013) v R [2013] NZSC 129 [26 November 2013] (PDF, 47 KB)
Recall judgment
V (SC 99/2013) v R [2014] NZSC 56 [13 May 2014] (PDF, 44 KB)
Dates

 Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

Application for recall of judgement dismissed.

26 November 2013
Case name
Darren George Hosking  v The Queen
Case number
SC 100/2013
Summary
Criminal Appeal – Fair trial – Whether the applicant was denied a fair trial because he was convicted on the basis of false allegations.[2012] NZCA 460   CA 317/2012
Result
Application for leave to appeal dismissed.
13 December 2013.
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
DARREN GEORGE HOSKING v R [2013] NZSC 144 [13 December 2013] (PDF, 50 KB)
Case name
John Anthony Edwards v The District Court, Dunedin, The District Court, Oamaru, Waitaki District Council
Case number
SC 101/2013
Summary
Civil Appeal – Procedure – Was the Court of Appeal correct to treat the applicant’s appeal as being out of time and to hold that the grounds of appeal raised could not succeed.  [2013] NZCA 382   CA 185/2013
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
sc 101 2013 edwards v district court others (PDF, 51 KB)
Dates

A         The application for leave to appeal is dismissed

B          The applicant is to pay costs of $2,500 to the Waitaki District Council

 15 November 2013
Case name
Nicholas Paul Alfred Reekie  v Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections and Visiting Justice to Springhill Correctional Facility
Case number
SC 102/2013
Transcripts
Media Releases
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
NICHOLAS PAUL ALFRED REEKIE v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2014] NZSC 63 [29 May 2014] (PDF, 240 KB)
Recall judgment
NICHOLAS PAUL ALFRED REEKIE v ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2014] NZSC 98 [30 July 2014] (PDF, 9 KB)

Summary
 

Security for costs – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in dismissing the application to review the Registrar’s decision refusing to dispense with security for costs.

[2013] NZCA 422    CA 170/2013
Dates

27 November 2013 and 5 December 2013

Elias CJ, McGrath, William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold JJ.

Application for leave to appeal dismissed.

29 May 2014.

Application for recall dismissed.

30 July 2014.
Case name
LSG Sky Chefs New Zealand Limited v Pacific  Flight Catering Limited and PRI Flight Catering Limited
Case number
SC 103/2013
Summary
Civil Appeal –  Employment Relations Act 2000 – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that s 69J of the Employment Relations Act 2000 had the effect of extinguishing the transferring employer’s accrued contractual obligations to a transferred employee – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that s 69J of the Employment Relations Act 2000 absolved the transferring employer from liability to the new employer for the accrued contractual entitlements of a transferred employee – Whether the Court of Appeal erred in using the Employment Relations Amendment Bill 2013 as an aid to interpretation of the Employment Relations Act 2000.   [2013] NZCA 386   CA 758/2012
Result
A Leave to appeal is granted.
B The ground for appeal is whether, under Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act 2000, the respondents are liable to reimburse the applicant for the cost of accrued leave entitlements of the respondents’ former employees on their transfer to the applicant.
6 December 2013
___________________
The appeal is dismissed.
The appellant is to pay the respondents costs of $25,000 and reasonable disbursements as fixed by the Registrar.

5 November 2014
Media Releases
Substantive judgment
LSG SKY CHEFS NEW ZEALAND LIMITED v PACIFIC FLIGHT CATERING LIMITED [2014] NZSC 158 [5 November 2014] (PDF, 117 KB)
Transcript

Hearing date : 19 August 2014

Elias CJ, McGrath, William Young, Glazebrook, Arnold JJ.
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