EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
TO BE APPOINTED TO THE BENCH OF THE DISTRICT COURT
Section 15 of the District Court Act 2016 specifies that no person shall be appointed a Judge unless they
have held a practising certificate as a barrister or solicitor for at least seven years.
Personal details
Full name
____________________________________________________
Full postal address (the address to which mail should be sent)
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Contact telephone no. _____________________________ Mob________________________________
Email ______________________________________________________
Do not supply any contact details that you do not wish to have used.
Date of birth _______________________________________
Day Month Year
The following information is gathered for statistical purposes.
Are you Male Female
Are you a New Zealand Citizen? Yes No
If not, please specify your citizenship: _____________________________________________________
Ethnicity:
NZ Māori Chinese NZ European or Pākehā
Samoan Indian Other European – which of these groups:
Cook Island Māori Other please state ethic group English Scottish
Tongan Dutch Irish
Niuean ________________________ Australian
Iwi _________________________________________________________________________________
Tick as many as you need to show to which ethnic group(s) you belong.
Tertiary qualifications
Qualification Institution Country Years Year completed or ongoing
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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Work history
Date of admission in New Zealand________________________________________________________
Legal practice: please state where you have practised (include any overseas jurisdictions) and in what
capacity:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Please indicate, by ticking the boxes, the extent of your experience, both civil and criminal, in the
following:
Court Civil Criminal Details, including number of appearances
Supreme Court ______________________________________
Court of Appeal ______________________________________
Court Civil Criminal Details, including total years’ experience
High Court
Appellant work ______________________________________
High Court ______________________________________
District Court ______________________________________
Total
Family Court _____________________________________________________________
Youth Court _____________________________________________________________
Environment Court _____________________________________________________________
Employment Court _____________________________________________________________
Māori Land Court _____________________________________________________________
Tribunals (specify) _____________________________________________________________
Please give highlights of your career whether legal or non legal. For example, your involvement in major
cases and reported decisions. A more detailed outline of your work experience should be included in your
curriculum vitae.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Please specify which legal professional bodies you belong to.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Please indicate whether you have been an office holder of any legal professional body.
Organisation Office/s held Years
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Publications
Please list any major published works of a legal nature.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
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Community activities
Please give details (including any offices you have held) of your involvement with any
community groups and activities.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Appointment
Specify the Courts to which you think your skills are best suited.
District Court Judge
District Court Judge with Jury Warrant
District Court Judge with a Family Warrant
Environment Court Judge
In which district court jurisdiction are you willing to be resident?
All
Auckland Invercargill Rotorua
Christchurch Palmerston North Tauranga
Dunedin Napier Whanganui
Gisborne Nelson Whangarei
Hamilton New Plymouth Wellington
Referees
Please provide the names of at least three respected and trustworthy practitioners to act as referees. They
should be familiar with your legal work and be able to assess your standing in the legal profession. You
may also provide any number of other referees.
Name Practice or organisation Telephone Email
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Other material
This expression of interest is designed to elicit non-evaluative information that can be summarised. If you
do not have enough space for your answers, please continue on a separate sheet of paper.
You are also required to provide a curriculum vitae which should demonstrate that your abilities meet the
qualities required of a District Court Judge, and he particular qualities you personally will contribute to
the bench of the District Court.
Please mark your expression of interest ‘Confidential’ and address it to:
The Attorney-General’s Judicial Appointments Unit
SX 10088
WELLINGTON
Ph: 04 473 3890 or 0800 473 389
Fax: 04 473 3891
Email: judicialappointments@justice.govt.nz
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STATUTORY DECLARATION AND AUTHORISATION
I___________________________________________________________________________________
(full name - first or given names and family or surname)
of__________________________________________________________________________________
(full residential address)
____________________________________________________________________________________
(occupation)
solemnly and sincerely declare that:
I have not been convicted of any criminal offences (for these purposes do not count any infringement
offences, e.g., parking or speeding offences, as they do not result in a conviction being entered
against you) OR
I have been convicted of the following criminal offences (do not count infringement offences, see
above)
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
I have not been the subject of any disciplinary action by any District Law Society or by the New
Zealand Law Society or an equivalent overseas body, nor are there any unresolved complaints
against me OR
Details of disciplinary action or unresolved complaints against me are as follows:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
I have not been made bankrupt, entered into a composition with my creditors, or been disqualified as
a director.
I have not had any judgment entered against me. (No answer is required if the sum awarded was less
than $12,500).
I have never had proceedings brought against me in relation to tax defaults.
I do not have any tax owing which should have been already paid.
(Delete whichever of the above statements do not apply).
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I understand and consent to my Expression of Interest form, my curriculum vitae and any other material
supplied being held by the Attorney-General’s Judicial Appointments Unit and being used to assess
whether I may be appointed to the District Court bench.
I consent to my name being passed to the President of the New Zealand Law Society as part of the
consultation process and I understand that the President may in turn consult, on a confidential basis, with
respected and trustworthy practitioners. I understand that my Expression of Interest form, my curriculum
vitae, and any other material supplied and held by the Attorney-General’s Appointments Unit may be
referred to by the Chief Justice and/or the Chief Judge if, and after, I have been appointed to the District
Court bench, for judicial administrative purposes.
I also acknowledge that before any appointment is made I will be required to provide a health certificate
from a medical practitioner.
And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the
Oaths and Declarations Act 1957.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Signature
Declared at ______________________ this _________day of_____________________20____
____________________________________________________________________________________
Person authorised to take Statutory Declaration
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