Published by the Communications
and Development Department
20 November 2003
University of Canterbury law alumni feature strongly in new judicial
appointments announced by the Government this week.
Justice Andrew Tipping, who graduated BA/LLB Hons (First Class) from
Canterbury in 1966 and received an Honorary Doctorate (LLD) from the
University last year, is one of five judges who will sit on New Zealand’s
new Supreme Court. This will be New Zealand’s highest court,
replacing the right of appeal to the Privy Council. The Supreme Court
will come into being on January 1 and hearings will start on July
1.
In his year of graduation Justice Tipping won the Canterbury District
Law Society Gold Medal and the New Zealand Law Society Cleary Prize.
He went into practice as a barrister and solicitor and became his
firm’s senior common law partner.
Justice Tipping has taken a full part in the governance and regulation
of the legal profession. He tutored at Canterbury in the law of evidence,
held the post of moderator for the New Zealand Law Schools in the
law of torts, and was a member of the University of Canterbury Council.
In 1986 he was appointed to the High Court and sat in Christchurch.
He is Chair of the Council of Legal Education and in 1997 was appointed
to the Court of Appeal.
In presenting Justice Tipping to receive an honorary LLD last year,
Judge Stephen Erber described the demands of being a judge and said
of Justice Tipping that is was “as well this country and its
laws has, in the Court of Appeal, persons of Justice Tipping’s
exceptional calibre to engage in this task”.
Canterbury alumni High Court Judge Justice William Young and Queen’s
Counsel John Fogarty, both of Christchurch, are also included in new
appointments.
Justice Young has been appointed to the Court of Appeal. He graduated
from Canterbury LLB Hons in 1974 and like Justice Tipping also received
the Canterbury District Law Society Gold Medal as the best student
of his year. He was made a QC in 1991 and appointed to the High Court
in 1997.
Mr Fogarty has been appointed to the High Court. He graduated from
Canterbury LLB Hons in 1971 and went on to study at the University
of Toronto where he completed an LLM in 1974. He was appointed a QC
in 1990. Mr Fogarty is the moderator for the New Zealand law schools
in Public Law, and has a close relationship with the Canterbury Law
School, giving a lecture to students earlier this year on legal claims
relating to the seabed and foreshore.
Dr Andrew Stockley, the Head of the Law School at Canterbury University,
commented that staff and students were delighted by the success of
the Law School’s alumni. “Canterbury has a good record
of producing first class graduates and these three judges are good
examples of that. The Law School is particularly proud of Justice
Tipping becoming one of New Zealand’s five most senior judges.
Now that the right of appeal to the Privy Council has been abolished,
Justice Tipping and the other members of the Supreme Court will play
a critical role in determining the future shape of New Zealand law.”
For more information contact:
Deborah Parker
Communications Manager
University of Canterbury
Christchurch
Ph 03 364 2910
Email deb.parker@canterbury.ac.nz
