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List of King's and Queen's Counsel in New Zealand

(Redirected from King's Counsel (New Zealand))

The office of King's Counsel was established in New Zealand in 1907.[1] It recognises excellence in court advocacy and other outstanding contributions to the law in New Zealand. During the reign of a male sovereign, appointees are called King's Counsel. They are also informally called "silks", in reference to office holders being permitted to wear silk robes instead of standard wool and cotton robes and new appointees are described as "taking silk".

Appointments as King's Counsel

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Appointments in New Zealand are governed by the Lawyers and Conveyancers (Lawyers: King's Counsel) Regulations 2012.[2] They are made by the Governor-General acting on behalf of the sovereign. Recommendations are made by the Attorney-General with concurrence by the Chief Justice.[2] King's Counsel may be appointed at any time. The Attorney-General calls for applications from time to time, generally on annual basis,[2] although ad hoc appointments are also made in special cases - generally in relation to the current Attorney-General or a current or incoming Solicitor-General. The Attorney-General is required to consult with the New Zealand Law Society and the New Zealand Bar Association prior to making a recommendation for appointment.[2]

The Attorney-General, Chris Bishop, announced on 8 May 2026 that an appointment round will be held in 2026. Applications are open from 25 May 2026 and must be submitted by 22 June 2026, with appointments expected to be made in October 2026.[3]

Criteria

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The criteria for appointment of King’s Counsel are set out in the Guidelines for Candidates, published by Crown Law.[4] The overarching requirement is excellence. Successful candidates possess qualities such as superior knowledge, skill in oral and written advoacy, leadership, contribution to the profession, promoting access to justice, and integrity and honesty. The rank is only available to those practising as barristers sole.

In addition to those practising as barristers who are appointed under the criteria set out in the regulations, the Governor-General is able to appoint King's Counsel under the Royal Prerogative based on their extraordinary contribution to the law. This is often for services to the government such as the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General, or senior Parliamentary drafters, or for eminent legal academics. The fact that appointment is made under the prerogative is normally referred to in the announcement of the appointment. Unlike the United Kingdom, which has the rank of King's Counsel (Honoris Causa), there is no distinction between those in New Zealand appointed under the standard process and under the "extraordinary contribution" criterion following appointment.

Name of the rank

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During the reign of a male sovereign, appointees are called King's Counsel, and this applied from 1907 to 1952 during the reign of Edward VII (1907–1910),[5] George V (1910–1936),[6] Edward VIII (1936),[7] and George VI (1936–1952).[8] During Elizabeth II's reign (February 1952 – September 2022), new appointees were called Queen's Counsel. King's Counsel who were living when Elizabeth II became the monarch became Queen's Counsel.[9] Forty-three King's Counsel had been appointed before 1952.[10] When King Charles III ascended the throne on 9 September 2022 (New Zealand time), living Queen's Counsel automatically became King's Counsel.

In 2008, the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Senior Counsel and Queen's Counsel) Regulations 2008 were promulgated which provided for the appointment of Senior Counsel instead of Queen's Counsel from 2008 onwards, although existing Queen's Counsel retained the former designation. There was only one round of lawyers appointed as Senior Counsel, in 2008. The rank of Senior Counsel was open to lawyers practising in firms as well as at the Bar. The regulations were revoked and replaced from 1 February 2013 by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Queen’s Counsel) Regulations 2012, which provided for reinstatement of the rank of Queen's Counsel and restriction to those practising at the independent bar. Those who had been appointed Senior Counsel were offered redesignation as Queen's Counsel, and all elected to do so. Those who had been appointed as Senior Counsel while practising in firms were permitted to continue to practise in firms without losing the rank. There were no appointments between 2009 and 2011, and the only apponintments in 2012 were those of the Attorney-General, Chris Finlayson, and the Solicitor-General, Mike Heron. 26 lawyers were appointed to the rank in the 2013 appointment round, which was (and remains) the largest number.

Overview of office holders

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Following the appointment of the incoming Solicitor-General Anna Adams as King's Counsel in March 2026, there have been 379 warrant holders. Of the 119 years since 1907 (as of 2026), there have been 42 years in which no appointments were made.[11] There were no appointment rounds in 2020 and 2023, both being election years.

The first women appointed to the office were Sian Elias and Lowell Goddard in 1988.

Initial appointees

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When the first ten appointments were made in June 1907 by Chief Justice Sir Robert Stout, two were from Auckland, four were from Wellington, two were from Christchurch, and two were from Dunedin.[12] The first King's Counsel to die was Thomas Joynt on 5 September 1907, less than three months after his appointment;[13] Joynt had been the senior member of the bar in the country.[12]

List of office holders

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The following is a complete list of the office holders. This is based on the list published by the Crown Law Office in May 2023.[14] [15]

Name Portrait Year appointed Location
Frederick Baume 1907 Auckland
Francis Bell 1907 Wellington
Martin Chapman 1907 Wellington
John Findlay 1907 Wellington
John Hosking 1907 Dunedin
Thomas Joynt 1907 Christchurch
Charles Skerrett 1907 Wellington
Saul Solomon 1907 Dunedin
Walter Stringer 1907 Christchurch
Joseph Tole 1907 Auckland
John F. M. Fraser 1910 Dunedin
Thomas Cotter 1911 Auckland
Fred Earl 1912 Auckland
Alexander Gray 1912 Wellington
Charles Morison 1912 Wellington
John Reed 1912 Auckland
John Salmond 1912 Wellington
George Raymond 1913 Christchurch
Frederick Wilding 1913 Christchurch
William MacGregor 1915 Dunedin
Oliver Samuel 1919 New Plymouth
Michael Myers 1922 Wellington
Hubert Ostler 1925 Auckland[16]
Arthur Fair 1925 Wellington
Thomas Wilford 1929 Wellington
Alf Hanlon 1930 Dunedin
Harold Johnston 1930 Wellington
John Callan 1934 Dunedin
Alexander Johnstone 1934[17] Auckland
Claude Weston 1934 Wellington
Henry Cornish 1934 Wellington
Humphrey O'Leary 1935[18] Wellington
Philip Cooke 1936 Wellington
Wilfrid Sim 1939[17] Christchurch
Herbert Evans 1946[17] Wellington
Rex Mason 1946[17] Auckland
John O'Shea 1946 Wellington
Ossie Mazengarb 1947[17] Wellington
Alfred North 1947[17] Auckland
Alf Neill 1950[17] Dunedin
Howard Richmond 1952 Auckland
Leonard Leary 1952 Auckland
Alexander Turner 1952 Auckland
Clifton Webb 1954 Auckland
Vincent Meredith 1957 Auckland
Richard Wild 1957 Wellington
Reginald Hardie Boys 1958 Auckland
Lance Tompkins 1958 Hamilton
Nigel Wilson 1958 Auckland
Campbell Spratt 1961 Wellington
Ronald Davison 1963 Auckland
Robin Cooke 1964 Wellington
Charles Hutchinson 1964 Auckland
Edgar Bowie 1965 Christchurch
David Beattie 1965 Auckland
Muir Chilwell 1965 Auckland
John White 1966 Wellington
Peter Hillyer 1967 Auckland
Frank O'Flynn 1968 Wellington
Lloyd Brown 1968 Auckland
Graham Crossley 1970 Palmerston North
Laurie Southwick 1970 Auckland
Richard Savage 1970 Wellington
Paul Temm 1971 Auckland
Peter Mahon 1971 Christchurch
Maurice O'Brien 1971
Ian Barker 1973 Auckland
Martyn Finlay 1973 Auckland
Bob Edgley 1973
Bill Shires 1973 Wellington
Stewart Lusk 1973
Edward Somers 1973 Christchurch
David Tompkins 1974 Hamilton
John Wallace 1974 Auckland
Don Inglis 1976
Maxwell Vautier 1976
Brian McClelland 1976 Christchurch
Robert Adams-Smith 1978
Rodney Gallen 1978
Thomas Eichelbaum 1978 Wellington
Peter Penlington 1978 Christchurch
Robert Smellie 1979 Auckland
Colin Nicholson 1979 Auckland
John Henry 1980 Auckland
Paul Neazor 1981
Alan Houston 1981 Hamilton
Anthony Hearn 1981 Christchurch
Richard Craddock 1981 Auckland
Edmund (Ted) Thomas 1981 Auckland
Anthony (Tony) Ellis 1981 Wellington
Simon Lockhart 1982 Auckland
John Allen 1983 Hamilton
Peter Salmon 1983 Auckland
Barrie Atkinson 1983 Christchurch
David Baragwanath 1983 Auckland
Thomas Gault 1984 Wellington
Andrew McGechan 1984 Wellington
Anthony (Tony) Molloy 1984 Auckland
Ralph Wylie 1985 Christchurch
Colin Pidgeon 1985 Auckland
Roderick Joyce 1985 Auckland
Robert Fisher 1985 Hamilton
Don Mathieson 1986 Wellington
John Gibson 1986 Wellington
Mike Bungay 1986
James Farmer 1986 Auckland
Noel Anderson 1986 Auckland
Alan Lough Hassall 1987 Hamilton
Gerald Stewart Tuohy 1987 Wellington
Peter Williams 1987 Auckland
David Williams 1987 Auckland
Alan Galbraith 1987 Auckland
John McGrath 1987 Wellington
Peter Jenkin 1988 Wellington
Douglas White 1988 Wellington
Sian Elias 1988 Auckland
Colin Stuart Withnall 1988 Dunedin
Lowell Goddard 1988 Auckland
Michael Lance 1988
Hugh Williams 1988 Palmerston North
Walter Iles 1989 Wellington
John Laurenson 1989 New Plymouth
Nigel Hampton 1989 Christchurch
George Patterson Barton 1990 Wellington
Stephen Pendrill Charles 1990 Australia
Colin Carruthers 1990 Wellington
Les Atkins 1990 Palmerston North
John Fogarty 1990 Christchurch
Paul Cavanagh 1991 Auckland
John Upton 1991 Wellington
Michael Camp 1991 Wellington
Anthony (Tony) Lusk 1991 Auckland
Julian Miles 1991 Auckland
William Young 1991 Christchurch
Robert Chambers 1992 Auckland
Raynor Asher 1992 Auckland
Bruce Squire 1992 Wellington
Barry Paterson 1993 Hamilton
John Wild 1993 Wellington
John Haigh 1993 Auckland
John Priestley 1994 Auckland
Rodney Harrison 1994 Auckland
Graham Panckhurst 1994 Christchurch
Rhys Harrison 1994 Auckland
John Francis Lyons 1994 Australia
Frank Hortin Callaway 1994 Australia
David Shavin 1994 Australia
Kenneth Keith 1994 Wellington
Chris McVeigh 1995 Christchurch
Gary Judd 1995 Auckland
Rodney Hansen 1995 Auckland
Hugh Rennie 1995 Wellington
Bradley Giles 1995 Auckland
Michael Reed 1995 Auckland
Judith Ablett-Kerr 1995 Dunedin
Paul East 1995 Rotorua
Charles Augustine Sweeney 1995 Australia
Warwick Gendall 1996 Wellington
Stuart Grieve 1996 Auckland
Bill Wilson 1996 Wellington
Tony Randerson 1996 Auckland
Austin Forbes 1996 Christchurch
Nick Davidson 1996 Christchurch
John Billington 1996 Wellington
Paul Davison 1996 Auckland
Denese Bates 1996 Auckland
Howard Keyte 1997 Auckland
John Rowan 1997 Whanganui
David Wilson 1997 Hamilton
Lynton (Lyn) Stevens 1997 Auckland
Terence Arnold 1997 Wellington
Brendan Brown 1997 Wellington
Helen Cull 1997 Wellington
Kevin Ryan 1998 Auckland
Christopher Hodson 1998 Wellington
Ian Millard 1998 Wellington
Royden Somerville 1998 Dunedin
John Katz 1998 Auckland
Tony Hughes-Johnson 1998 Christchurch
Robert Dobson 1998 Wellington
Ailsa Duffy 1998 Auckland
Paul Heath 1998 Hamilton
Mike Behrens 1999 Palmerston North
Noel Ingram 1999 Auckland
Rodger Haines 1999 Auckland
Christopher (Kit) Toogood 1999 Auckland
Kristy McDonald 1999 Wellington
Tom Weston 1999 Christchurch
Peter McKenzie 2000 Wellington
Vivienne Ullrich 2000 Wellington
David Collins 2000 Wellington
Paul Mabey 2000 Tauranga
David McGee 2000 Wellington
Bruce Stewart 2000 Auckland
Mark Cooper 2000 Auckland
George Tanner 2002 Wellington
Richard Clarke 2002 Wellington
Peter Woodhouse 2002 Auckland
Andrew Brown 2002 Auckland
Donald Stevens 2002 Wellington
Robert Fardell 2002 Auckland
Edwin Wylie 2002 Christchurch
Anne Hinton 2002 Auckland
Mary Scholtens 2002 Wellington
Maureen Southwick 2003 Auckland
Grant Illingworth 2003 Auckland
Philip Morgan 2003 Hamilton
David Goddard 2003 Wellington
Michael Ring 2004 Auckland
Harry Waalkens 2004 Auckland
Miriam Dean 2004 Auckland
Francis Cooke 2004 Wellington
Tómas Kennedy-Grant 2005 Auckland
Helen Aikman 2005 Wellington
David Jones 2005 Auckland
John Burrows 2005 Christchurch
Brian Keene 2006 Auckland
Bruce Gray 2006 Auckland
John Marshall 2007 Wellington
Bruce Corkill 2007 Wellington
Matthew Casey 2007 Auckland
Stephen Mills 2007 Auckland
Robert Lithgow 2007 Wellington
Stephen Kós 2007 Wellington
Chris Gudsell 2007 Hamilton
Susan Hughes 2007 New Plymouth
Nicholas Till 2007 Christchurch
Deborah Chambers 2007 Auckland
Campbell McLachlan 2007 Wellington
Karen Clark 2007 Wellington
Geoffrey Palmer 2008 Wellington
David Heaney 2008 Auckland
Murray Gilbert 2008 Auckland
Jack Hodder 2008 Wellington
Jan McCartney 2008 Auckland
Simon Moore 2008 Auckland
Christine Gordon 2008 Auckland
Chris Finlayson 2012 Wellington
Michael Heron 2012 Auckland
Philip Hall2013Christchurch
Terence Stapleton 2013 Wellington
Richard Fowler 2013 Wellington
Simon Jefferson 2013 Auckland
Trevor Shiels 2013 Dunedin
Paul Dacre 2013 Auckland
Russell Fairbrother 2013 Napier
Frances Joychild 2013 Auckland
Nathan Gedye 2013 Auckland
Peter Churchman 2013 Wellington
Peter Watts 2013 Auckland
Justin Smith 2013 Wellington
Graham Kohler 2013 Auckland
Matthew Muir 2013 Auckland
Gillian Coumbe 2013 Auckland
Les Taylor 2013 Wellington
Kate Davenport 2013 Auckland
Matthew Dunning 2013 Auckland
Philip Skelton 2013 Auckland
David Chisholm 2013 Auckland
John Pike 2013 Wellington
Christine Meechan 2013 Auckland
Clive Elliott 2013 Auckland
Jonathan Eaton 2013 Christchurch
Daniel McLellan 2013 Auckland
Neil Campbell 2013 Auckland
Russell Bartlett 2014 Auckland
Stephen Bonnar 2014 Auckland
Paul David 2014 Auckland
Marie Dyhrberg 2014 Auckland
Antonia Fisher 2014 Auckland
Paul Rishworth 2014 Auckland
Paul Wicks 2014 Auckland
Prudence Steven 2014 Christchurch
Peter Whiteside 2014 Christchurch
Anita Chan 2014 Dunedin
David Laurenson 2014 Auckland
Matthew McClelland 2014 Wellington
Matthew Palmer 2014 Wellington
Paul Radich 2014 Wellington
Margaret Casey 2015 Auckland
Mark O'Brien 2015 Wellington
Richard Boast 2015 Wellington
Derek Nolan[19]2016 Auckland
Aaron Perkins[19] 2016 Auckland
Kieran Raftery[19] 2016 Auckland
David Bigio[19]2016Auckland
Jane Anderson[19]2016Auckland
Marc Corlett[19]2016Auckland
Vanessa Bruton[19]2016Auckland
Richard Raymond2016Christchurch
John Prebble[19]2016Wellington
Kenneth Johnston[19]2016Wellington
Victoria Casey[19]2016Wellington
Una Jagose[19]2016Wellington
John Dixon[20]2017 Auckland
Suzanne Robertson[20]2017 Auckland
Rachael Reed[20]2017 Auckland
Paul Borich[20]2017 Auckland
Adam Ross[20]2017 Auckland
Jenny Cooper[20]2017 Auckland
Simon Mount[20]2017 Auckland
Andrew Barker[20]2017 Auckland
Greg Blanchard[20]2017 Auckland
Campbell Walker[20]2017 Auckland
Grant Brittain[20]2017 Tauranga
James Every-Palmer[20]2017 Wellington
Tony Angelo[20]2017 Wellington
Vivienne Crawshaw[21] 2018 Auckland
Paul Dale[21] 2018 Auckland
Maria Dew[21] 2018 Auckland
Bob Hollyman[21] 2018 Auckland
Andru Isac[21] 2018 Wellington
Fiona Guy Kidd[21] 2018 Invercargill
James Rapley[21] 2018 Christchurch
Belinda Sellars[21] 2018 Auckland
Anne Stevens[21] 2018 Dunedin
James Wilding[21] 2018 Christchurch
Stephen Hunter[22]2019Auckland
Julie-Anne Kincade[22]2019Auckland
Simon Foote[22]2019Auckland
Janet McLean[22]2019Auckland
Nicolette Levy[22]2019Wellington
Karen Feint[22]2019Wellington
Len Andersen[22]2019Dunedin
Jonathan Temm[22]2019Rotorua
Lynda Kearns[23]2021Auckland
Stephen McCarthy[23]2021Auckland
Ron Mansfield[23]2021Auckland
Laura O'Gorman[23]2021Auckland
Fletcher Pilditch[23]2021Auckland
Davey Salmon[23]2021Auckland
Greg Arthur[23]2021Wellington
Michael Colson[23]2021Wellington
Victoria Heine[23]2021Wellington
Kerryn Beaton[23]2021Christchurch
Catherine Cull[24]2022Northland
Bronwyn Carruthers[24]2022Auckland
Nicholas Chisnall[24]2022Auckland
David Cooper[24]2022Auckland
Tiffany Cooper[24]2022Auckland
Jason Goodall[24]2022Auckland
Simon Mitchell[24]2022Auckland
Andrew Butler[24]2022Wellington
Stephanie Grieve[24]2022Christchurch
Lisa Preston[24]2022Christchurch
Judith Collins[25]2023Auckland
Philip Joseph[26]2024Christchurch
Philip Shamy[26]2024Christchurch
Todd Simmonds[26]2024Auckland
Robert Stewart[26]2024Auckland
Garry Williams[26]2024Auckland
Zane Kennedy[26]2024Auckland
Kelly Quinn[26]2024Auckland
Katherine Anderson[26]2024Auckland
Wendy Aldred[26]2024Wellington
Timothy Stephens[26]2024Wellington
Douglas Ewen[26]2024Wellington
Anne Toohey[26]2024Christchurch
Sarah Armstrong[26]2024Auckland
Christopher Stevenson[26]2024Wellington
Daniel Kalderimis[26]2024Wellington
Alanya Limmer[26]2024Christchurch
Sally Gepp[26]2024Nelson
Samuel Wimsett[26]2024Auckland
Nura Taefi[26]2024Auckland
Richard Marchant[27]2024Auckland
Alan Webb[27]2025Auckland
Brian Dickey[27]2025Auckland
Paul Keegan[27]2025New Plymouth
Cassandra Nicholson[27]2025Wellington
Simon Ladd[27]2025Auckland
Balthazar Matheson[27]2025Auckland
Tiana Epati[27]2025Gisborne
Kevin Glover[27]2025Auckland
Sarah Jerebine[27]2025Auckland
Katie Hogan[27]2025Auckland
Matthew Smith[27]2025Wellington
Anna Adams[28]2026Auckland

References

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  1. ↑ Stevens, Donald. "History of Queen's Counsel". Dr Donald Stevens KC. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Lawyers and Conveyancers (Lawyers: King's Counsel) Regulations 2012". Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "Appointment of King's Counsel". New Zealand Government. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "King's Counsel - Guidelines for Candidates 2025" (PDF). Crown Law. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  5. ↑ "King Edward VII". NNDB. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "King George V". Britroyals. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Edward VIII". English Monarchs. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "George VI". English Monarchs. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "A rare honour: Queen's Counsel in New Zealand". New Zealand Law Society. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2021.[dead link]
  10. ↑ Adlam, Geoff (18 July 2014). "Queen's Counsel rank recognises excellence". my.lawsociety. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Crown Law list of King's Counsel appointments since 1907". Crown Law. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  12. 1 2 "King's Counsel". The Star. No. 8949. 7 June 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Obituary". The Star. No. 9026. 5 September 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  14. ↑ "King's Counsel appointments since 1907 as at April 2026". Crown Law Office. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  15. ↑ The list updated in April 2026 included two appointees (Warwick Gendall and Claude Weston) whose names were omitted from the list published by Crown Law in 2023.
  16. ↑ "Mr. Justice Ostler". Auckland Star. Vol. LVI, no. 28. 3 February 1925. p. 7. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scholefield, Guy (1951). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1951 (5th ed.). Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. xxi.
  18. ↑ Listed in the Crown Law list as 1936, but see KING’S COUNSEL - MR. H. O’LEARY APPOINTED, Wairarapa Daily Times.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Twelve new Queen's Counsel". New Zealand Law Society. 8 June 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Appointment of 13 Queen's Counsel announced". New Zealand Law Society. 2 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dolor, Sol (30 November 2018). "10 join the senior ranks of the legal profession". NZ Lawyer. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Parker, David (5 December 2009). "Eight Queen's Counsel appointed under new criterion". New Zealand Government. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Appointment of Queen's Counsel". New Zealand Government. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Appointment of King's Counsel". New Zealand Government. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  25. ↑ "Attorney-General appointed King's Counsel". New Zealand Government. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "King's Counsel appointments 2024". New Zealand Government. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "King's Counsel appointments 2025". New Zealand Government. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  28. ↑ "Appointment of King's Counsel". New Zealand Gazette. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
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