Four new judges appointed to the courts.
The Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced four appointments to the Court of Appeal and High Court, taking effect on November 21st. The appointees include Justice Christine French as President of the Court of Appeal, Justices Neil Campbell and Dani Gardiner, who will sit in the Court of Appeal and High Court respectively, and Associate Judge Paul Cogswell, appointed an Associate High Court Judge.
Justice French graduated from the University of Otago with a law degree before attending Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. She has extensive experience in general civil litigation and employment law, having been a partner at Invercargill law firm French Burt Partners since 1988. Justice Campbell's career spans academia, practicing law in New Zealand and the UK, and holding various academic positions in Auckland. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2013.
Justice Gardiner also has extensive experience in commercial litigation, having practiced in London before returning to New Zealand and joining Chapman Tripp in Auckland. She later managed the Public Law team at the Auckland Council and held corporate governance roles in the financial services sector. Associate Judge Cogswell's background is rooted in law firms Hesketh Henry Lawyers and cogswell+jaduram, where he was a partner before establishing Cogswell Law.
The appointments aim to fill vacancies within the judiciary and are set to take effect on November 21st.