Hon Christopher Finlayson
Attorney-General

3 October 2013

District Court Judge appointed

Whangarei lawyer Christina Cook has been appointed a Family Court Judge to serve in Invercargill, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today.

Ms Cook was admitted in 1990. Her early career began in Whangarei as junior counsel with local law firm Connell Rishworth Gerard, and saw her gain experience in general litigation including as a junior on a number of trials.

Shifting focus to concentrate on family law, she moved to another Whangarei firm, Thomson Wilson, in 1993, becoming a partner in 1996. In 2004 she set up her own practice before forming Cook Westenra Ltd in 2008. Ms Cook specialises in Family Court, ACC and employment litigation, including issues relating to relationship property and the Care of Children Act. She also acted as a Court appointed mediator in matters involving the care of children, and has worked as Lawyer for Child in a number of complex hearings and appeared in the Court of Appeal on relationship property matters, have been career highlights to date.

She is a former member of the Board of Trustees at St Francis Xavier School, a current member of the Board of Trustees of Whangarei Intermediate School and is involved with the Marist Hockey club as a manager, member of the committee and player. She spent eight years on the Women's Refuge Collective as well as time on the YWCA board.

Judge Cook will be sworn in on 11 October 2013 in Whangarei.

ENDS

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