23 April 2020

Supreme Court hearing delayed due to COVID-19

The Supreme Court of New Zealand will delay hearing the case surrounding Synlait Milk Limited’s (Synlait) Pokeno land due to COVID-19.

The hearing is unable to be heard in person due to the current COVID-19 restrictions the New Zealand
Government has in place to eliminate its spread.

The hearing will now be on Wednesday 3 June and Thursday 4 June 2020.

Synlait CEO Leon Clement commented: “It is understandable that the Supreme Court of New Zealand has
deferred our case given the unprecedented times we find ourselves in. We are all working collectively to
eliminate Covid-19 and the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders takes priority.”

Background
• In February 2018, Synlait announced the conditional purchase of 28 hectares of land in Pokeno, a
small town in the Waikato District, to establish its second nutritional powder manufacturing site.
• In November 2018, the High Court removed covenants over the land which would have hindered
Synlait’s development of the land. Synlait then took title to the land.
• In May 2019, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision to remove the historic
covenants.
• In June 2019, Synlait filed an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court to have this
decision overturned.
• In October 2019, the Supreme Court held an oral hearing to decide whether the case would be
heard.
• In November 2019, the Supreme Court announced it would hear the case in April 2020.