The Judges
At present there are six judges headed by the Chief Judge. Usually one judge alone presides. However where cases raise important questions, the Chief Judge may elect to have a full court with at least three judges sitting.
Ngā Kaiwhakawā
I tēnei wā e ono ngā kaiwhakawā, ā, ko te Kaiwhakawā Matua te upoko. I te nuinga o te wā, kotahi anake te kaiwhakawā e whakahaere ana. Heoi anō, ki te whakarewahia ngā pātai matua e tētahi kēhi, ka kōwhiria pea e te Kaiwhakawā Matua kia tū te kōti katoa, ā, kāore e iti iho i ngā kaiwhakawā e toru e noho ana.
Her Honour Chief Judge Christina Inglis
KAIWHAKAWĀ MATUA CHRISTINA INGLIS
Chief Judge Christina Inglis was sworn in as Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa ǀ the Employment Court of New Zealand, in 2011 and appointed as Kaiwhakawā Matua ǀ Chief Judge, on 10 July 2017.
She holds an LLM (Hons) from Victoria University and an MA (Hons) from Canterbury University. She was a Crown Counsel at Crown Law for many years, with a primary focus on civil litigation, public law and employment law. Most recently she led the Human Rights Team at Crown Law.
While in practice she appeared in most Courts and Tribunals. Chief Judge Inglis was formerly on the Advisory Board of the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice; is a member of the Board of the Access to Justice Advisory Group, a joint initiative of the Chief Justice and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Justice; was Chair of Te Awa Tuia Tangata, the Heads of Bench judicial diversity committee, for three years; and is a member of the Heads of Bench Conduct Advisory Committee. In 2023 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Te Herenga Waka ǀ Victoria University in recognition of her contribution to the law.
Ko tōna Hōnore Kaiwhakawā Matua Christina Inglis
KAIWHAKAWĀ MATUA CHRISTINA INGLIS
Ka oatihia a Kaiwhakawā Matua Christina Inglis hei Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa i te tau 2011, ā, i kopoua hei Kaiwhakawā Matua i te 10 o Hūrae o 2017.
He LLM (Hons) tāna nō Te Whare Wānanga o te Herenga Waka me tētahi MA (Hons) nō Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha. Ko ia te Kaiwawao Karauna at Te Tari Ture o te Karauna mō ngā tau maha me te arotahi matua ki te whakahaere ā-ture porihanga, te ture tūmatanui me te ture whiwhinga mahi. Inākuanei i ārahi ia i te Tīma Matatika Tangata ki te Tari Ture o te Karauna.
I a ia e mahi ana ka puta ia ki te nuinga o ngā Kōti me ngā Taraipiunara. I mua i noho a Kaiwhakawā Matua Inglis i runga i te Poari Tohutohu o te Pokapū o Aotearoa mō te Ture Manatika Tangata, Kaupapahere, Mahinga hoki; he mema ia nō te Poari o te Rōpū Tohutohu Āhei ki te Tika, he kaupapa nā te Kaiwhakawā Matua me te Tumuaki o te Tāhū o te Ture; he Hea nō Te Awa Tuia Tangata, te komiti kanorau ture o ngā Upoko o te Paeture; waihoki he mema nō te Komiti Tohutohu Mahi Paeture o ngā Upoko o te Paeture. I te tau 2023 ko Kaiwhakawā Matua Inglis te kairangi mō te Wing 368 o te Kāreti Pirihimana Roiara o Aotearoa. I whakawhiwhia ia ki te tohu kairangi whakahōnore e Te Herenga Waka (ka hoatu hei te Tīhema 2023) hei mihi i tana tāpaetanga ki te ture.
His Honour Judge K G Smith
Judge Kerry Smith was appointed as Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa ǀ Judge of the Employment Court of New Zealand in 2016.
He graduated with an LLB degree from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury in 1982 and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1983.
He worked for two law firms in Ōtautahi | Christchurch before joining a firm that eventually became Buddle Findlay, joining the partnership in 1991. He remained in that partnership from 1991 until December 2015.
His specialist areas of practice were employment, resource management, civil litigation, and health and safety.
Tōna Hōnore Kaiwhakawā K G Smith
I kopoua a Kaiwhakawā Kerry Smith hei Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa i te tau 2016.
I whakapōtaetia ia ki te tohu LLB i Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha i te tau 1982, ā, i whakaurua hei rōia me te rōia tūtahi i te tau 1983.
I mahi ia mō ngā umanga ture e rua i Ōtautahi i mua i te uru ki tētahi umanga, nāwai rā, ka huri ki Buddle Findlay, e uru ana ki te rangapū i te tau 1991. Ka noho ia ki taua rangapū mai i te tau 1991 ki te Tīhema 2015.
Ko ana takiwā mahi mātanga ko te whiwhinga mahi, te whakahaere rauemi, te whakahaere ā-ture porihanga, me te hauora me te haumaru.
Her Honour Judge J C Holden
Judge Joanna Holden was appointed as Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa ǀ Judge of the Employment Court of New Zealand, in September 2017.
She has a BA LLB from Te Herenga Waka ǀ Victoria University of Wellington and was admitted to the bar in 1985.
Her legal career began with Kensington Swan (then Young Swan Morison McKay) operating in the areas of employment law and general civil litigation. Subsequently she joined Chapman Tripp’s litigation department where she undertook general civil, commercial and public law litigation and specialised in employment law.
In 2004 she commenced with Te Tari Ture o te Karauna ǀ Crown Law. Immediately prior to her appointment to the bench she was a Team Manager in the Crown Legal Risk Group. Her specialist areas of practice were employment, health and safety, tort and public law.
Ko tōna Hōnore Kaiwhakawā J C Holden
I kopoua a Joanna Holden hei Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa i te Hepetema 2017.
I riro ia ia te BA LLB i Te Whare Wānanga o Te Herenga Waka, ā, i whakaurua ki te pae ture i te tau 1985.
Ka tīmata tana aramahi ki Kensington Swan (i taua wā ko Young Swan Morison McKay) e mahi ana ki ngā takiwā o te ture whiwhinga mahi me te whakahaere ā-ture porihanga whānui. I muri iho i tūhono ia ki te tari whakahaere ā-ture o Chapman Tripp i reira mahi ai i te whakahaere ā-ture porihanga, arumoni, me te ture tūmatanui, ā, he mātanga ia ki te ture whiwhinga mahi.
I te tau 2004 i tīmata ia ki Te Tari Ture o te Karauna. I mua tata tonu atu i tana kopounga ki te pae he Kaiwhakahaere Tīma ia i roto i te Rōpū Tūraru Ture a te Karauna. Ko ana takiwā mātanga mō te mahi ko te ture whiwhinga mahi, hauora me te whakahaumaru, tōta, tūmatanui hoki.
Her Honour Judge Kathryn Beck
Judge Beck was appointed as Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa ǀ Judge of the Employment Court in July 2020 and sworn in on 7 August. She is based in Tamaki Makaurau | Auckland.
Judge Beck has a BCom LLB from Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland.
She was President of the Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa | New Zealand Law Society from 2016 to 2019 and a partner at a boutique employment law firm from 2005 up until her appointment as Judge. While in practice she acted for both large and small employers, individual employees and unions. She undertook reviews of a number of organisations including New Zealand Rugby.
Judge Beck brought nearly 30 years of practical legal experience to the bench. She has been President and Vice President of Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa | New Zealand Law Society, a Convener of the NZLS Employment Law Committee, a submitter for the Law Society to Select Committees on legislative change, and continues to present at conferences and educational events. She is a member of Tomo Mai, the Heads of Bench Inclusion Committee.
Ko tōna Hōnore Kaiwhakawā Kathryn Beck
I kopoua a Kaiwhakawā Beck hei Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa i te Hūrae o 2020, ā, i oatihia i te 7 o Ākuhata. E noho ana ia ki Tāmaki Makaurau.
Kei a Kaiwhakawā Beck tētahi BCom LLB i te Whare Wānanga o Waipapa Taumata Rau.
Ko ia te Tumuaki oTe Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa mai i te tau 2016 ki te tau 2019, ā, he hoa rangapū ia ki tētahi umanga ture whiwhinga mahi iti mai i te tau 2005 tae noa ki tana kopounga hei Kaiwhakawā. I a ia e mahi ana i mahi ia mō ngā kaitukumahi nui, iti hoki, ngā kaimahi takitahi me ngā uniana. I arotake ia i ētahi rōpū whakahaere tae atu ki New Zealand Rugby.
E tata ana ki te 30 tau ana wheako ture whaitake i haria mai e Kaiwhakawā Beck ki te pae ture. Ko ia te Tumuaki me te Tumuaki Tuarua o Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa, he kaiwhakamene i te Komiti Ture Whiwhinga Mahi o te NZLS, he kaituku mō te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa ki ngā Komiti Whiriwhiri mō te panoni ture, ā, e tāpae tonu ana ki ngā hui me ngā takunetanga mātauranga. He mema ia nō Tomo Mai, te Komiti Kauawhi mō ngā Upoko o te Pae Ture.
Her Honour Judge M S King
KAIWHAKAWĀ KING
Ngaati Maahanga, Ngaati Te Wehi
Judge Merepaia King was appointed as Kaiwhakawā Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa ǀ the Employment Court of New Zealand, in September 2023.
She has an LLB(Hons) and a BSocSc (in Psychology and Education) from Te Piringa - University of Waikato and was admitted in 2005.
She commenced practice with Tompkins Wake in Hamilton operating in the areas of employment law, family law and general civil litigation. In 2010 she joined Kiely, Thompson Caisley in Auckland and focused her practice exclusively in the areas of employment and health safety law. In 2015 she joined Buddle Findlay’s employment law team and went on to join the partnership in 2021.
Ko tōna Hōnore Kaiwhakawā King
KAIWHAKAWĀ KING
Ngaati Maahanga, Ngaati Te Wehi
I kopoua a Merepaia King hei Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa i te Hepetema o 2023.
I riro i a ia tētahi LLB(Hons) me tētahi BSocSc (mō te Mātai Hinengaro me te Mātauranga) nō Te Piringa - Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, ā, i whakaurua i te tau 2005.
I tīmata tana mahi ki Tompkins Wake i Kirikiriroa e mahi ana i ngā takiwā o te ture whiwhinga mahi, ture whānau me te whakahaere ā-ture porihanga. I te tau 2010 i tūhono ia ki Kiely, Thompson Caisley i Tāmaki Makaurau, ā, i arotahi i tana mahinga ki ngā takiwā o te ture whiwhinga mahi me te hauora haumaru. I te tau 2015 i tūhono ia ki te tīma ture whiwhinga mahi o Buddle Findlay’s, ā, nāwai rā ka tūhono ia ki te rangapū i te tau 2021.
His Honour Judge B A Corkill
Judge Bruce Corkill was appointed Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa ǀ Judge of the Employment Court in 2014.
He has been appointed as an Acting judge until his retirement on 1 February 2025.
Judge Corkill was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in New Zealand in 1975 where he practiced briefly. He then worked in England until 1982, becoming a Solicitor of England and Wales. After returning to New Zealand and practicing in general litigation in two law firms, he commenced practice as a Barrister in 1997, taking Silk in 2007.
His specialist areas of practice included employment, civil and professional disciplinary work. He was Chairperson of the Health Practitioners' Disciplinary Tribunal from 2006 to 2014.
Ko tōna Hōnore B A Corkill
I kopoua a Kaiwhakawā Bruce Corkill hei Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa i te tau 2014.
He kaiwhakawā whakakapi tae atu ki tana tāokitanga i te 1 o Pēpuere 2024.
I whakaurua a Judge Corkill hei rōia me te rōia tūtahi i Aotearoa i te tau 1975, i konei paku mahi ai. Kātahi ka mahi ia i Ingarangi tae noa ki te tau 1982, ka tū hei rōia o Ingarangi me Wērā. I muri i te hokinga ki Aotearoa me te mahi i roto i te whakahaere ā-ture i roto i ngā umanga ture e rua, i tīmata ia hei Rōia i te tau 1997, ka whiwhi ki te Hiraka i te tau 2007.
Ko ētahi o ana takiwā mahinga mātanga ko ngā mahi whiwhinga mahi me ngā mahi whakawhiu porihanga, mātanga hoki. Ko ia te Hea o te Health Practitioners' Disciplinary Tribunal mai i te tau 2006 ki te tau 2014.
Contact
Peter Gush
Peter.Gush@justice.govt.nz
Phone: 04 473 1679
Mobile: 027 839 1617
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