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The Crown has made an all-of-government submission to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council partially opposing the application to leave the Rena wreck where it is on the Astrolabe (Ōtāiti) Reef, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Former High Court Judge the Honourable John Priestley CNZM QC has been appointed as a revision bill certifier for the first three yearly statute revision programme under the Legislation Act 2012, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today. 

The government is also seeking submissions on the proposed programme for revision which will be undertaken during the next Parliamentary term.

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson is attending the sixth annual Quintet meeting of Attorneys-General, being held in London this week.

The Quintet is an annual meeting of the Attorneys-General of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and England and Wales, to share ideas and experiences, in particular on complex and cross-border legal issues.

It is taking place between the 9^th and the 11^th of July.

The annual meeting is also being attended by:

The Honourable Sir Mark O’Regan has been appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court and the Honourable Justice Ellen France will replace him as President of the Court of Appeal, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

The Honourable Justice Mark Cooper has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal to fill the vacancy created in that court.

The appointments will take effect on 1 September 2014.

Hamilton lawyer Simon Menzies has been appointed as an acting District Court Judge with a jury warrant to serve in the Hamilton District Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Tauranga lawyer Belinda Pidwell has been appointed as an acting District Court Judge with a Family Court warrant to serve in the Waitakere District Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Ms Pidwell has practiced in litigation since her admission to the Bar with a strong focus on criminal and family law. In 2004 she joined the independent Bar concentrating on family law, where she regularly acted as lawyer for the child and counsel to assist the Court as well as taking private referrals.

Fourteen lawyers have been appointed Queen’s Counsel this year, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson QC announced today.

The newly appointed silks are:

Auckland - Russell Bartlett, Stephen Bonnar, Paul David, Marie Dyhrberg, Antonia Fisher, Paul Rishworth, Paul Wicks

Christchurch - Prudence Steven, Peter Whiteside

Dunedin - Anita Chan

Wellington - David Laurenson, Matthew McClelland, Matthew Palmer, Paul Radich.

Wellington lawyer Chris Sygrove has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury and Family Court warrants to serve in New Plymouth, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

David Sharp, barrister and solicitor of Gisborne, has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury warrant to serve in Auckland, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson QC announced today.

Wellington-based Crown Counsel Stephanie Brigid Edwards has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury warrant to serve in Palmerston North, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Bruce Corkill QC of Wellington has been appointed as an Employment Court Judge, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Mr Corkill was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2007. He has been a barrister since 1997 and is a LEADR mediator. His major areas of practice comprise employment law, professional disciplinary work and other civil litigation including Trusts and relationship property, ACC, personal injury, and coronial work. 

Tony Lendrum, barrister of Auckland and New Plymouth, has been appointed as an acting District Court Judge with general and family warrants for a period of two years, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

He will be based in the Hawke’s Bay.

Two new acting District Court Judges have been appointed for terms of two years, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Auckland lawyer Kevin Glubb has been appointed with general and jury warrants and will be based in Waitakere.

Auckland Crown Solicitor Simon John Eisdell Moore QC has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Justice Moore graduated with an LLB from Auckland University in 1980 and was employed as a law clerk at Meredith Connell in Auckland, becoming a Staff Solicitor in 1982. In 1985 he was admitted to the partnership of that firm, and has been Chairman of Partners since 2003.

In June 1994 Justice Moore was appointed Crown Solicitor for Auckland.

Acting Principal Environment Judge Laurence Newhook has been appointed the permanent Principal Environment Judge, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Judge Newhook graduated LLB (Hons) and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1972. He worked as staff solicitor and later partner at law firm Towle and Cooper and successor firms Brandon Brookfield, latterly Brookfields, until his appointment to the Environment Court in 2001.

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today that an appointment round for Queen’s Counsel will take place in 2014. 

Appointments of Queen’s Counsel are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Attorney-General and with the concurrence of the Chief Justice. The Governor-General retains the discretion to appoint Queen’s Counsel in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the law in fields other than advocacy.

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson has paid tribute to Lambton Quay landmark Parsons Books and Music as it prepares to close its doors after 66 years in business.

Brother and sister Julian and Beatrice Parsons are retiring from the bookshop founded by their father, as Roy Parsons Bookseller, in 1948.

“As a customer from long before I entered Parliament to the present day I am personally sad at the closure of this special Wellingtonian institution,” Mr Finlayson said.

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson expressed his disappointment in the Law Society’s continued and wilful misrepresentation of New Zealand’s human rights record.

“The Law Society has an important role to play in contributing to the creation of quality legislation,” Mr Finlayson said. “But it diminishes its standing by continually crying wolf over non-existent human rights issues that really just reflect the personal taste of some of its members.”

Barrister Warwick Alexander Smith has been appointed an Associate Judge of the High Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Associate Judge Smith graduated with a LLB from the University of Otago in 1974 and commenced work as a solicitor with John O’Neill & Devereux in Dunedin, where he had been employed as a law clerk for the previous two years.

District Court Judge Susan Elizabeth Thomas has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Justice Thomas graduated with a BA and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1982 and joined the Auckland firm of Holden Horrocks as a solicitor.

The New Zealand Legislation website at legislation.govt.nz is now an official source of legislation, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson said today.

“This important development puts official up-to-date legislation in the hands of New Zealanders at no cost”, he said. “They can be confident that they are accessing the authoritative source.”

Auckland barrister David Kirkpatrick has been appointed an Environment Court Judge and District Court Judge to sit in Auckland, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today. 

Mr Kirkpatrick has been a barrister sole since July 2004. He specialises in administrative and public law generally, and resource management law in particular. He appears regularly before consent authorities, the Environment Court, and High Court. He has also appeared before the Court of Appeal, the Privy Council, and the Supreme Court.

From 6 January 2014, the New Zealand Legislation website (legislation.govt.nz) will become a source of official legislation, making New Zealand one of the few comparable jurisdictions to provide free official up-to-date online legislation to the public, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson says.

The change is a result of the Legislation Act 2012, which up-dates and modernises the publication of legislation.

Deputy Solicitor-General (Criminal Group) Cameron Mander has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Cameron Mander graduated with an LLB from Victoria University in 1985 and was initially employed at Parliamentary Services, in the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, before joining Wellington firm Luke Cunningham and Clere as a staff solicitor the following year.