Angela Janice Harrison v Graeme Ross Harrison

The Supreme Court of New Zealand was asked to review a decision made by the Registrar concerning a filing fee waiver application. Angela Janice Harrison sought to appeal against two decisions: the first related to a decision by French J on March 21, 2017, which declined her application for review of the decision of the Registrar of the Court of Appeal refusing to dispense with security for costs. The second related to a decision by Associate Judge Osborne on November 29, 2016, which adjudicated her bankrupt. The Registrar denied Ms Harrison's application for a fee waiver on May 4, 2017, stating that neither appeal concerned a matter of genuine public interest as required by R5(2)(b)(i) of the Supreme Court Fees Regulations 2003.

The legal issues the court was required to decide involved whether Ms Harrison's appeals met the criteria for a fee waiver, specifically whether the appeals engaged questions of law of significant interest to the public. The court considered whether the appeals related to Ms Harrison's personal circumstances or if they touched upon broader public interest issues. Glazebrook J examined the Registrar's reasoning and the content of the appeals to determine if the criteria for a fee waiver were met. The court noted that both appeals were based on specific circumstances and did not raise questions of law of significant public interest.

The court found that the appeals did not meet the threshold for a fee waiver. Glazebrook J upheld the Registrar's decision, concluding that neither of Ms Harrison's proposed appeals involved matters of genuine public interest as required by R5(2)(b)(i) of the Supreme Court Fees Regulations 2003. The application for review was dismissed, and Ms Harrison was required to pay the filing fee.