Attorney-General mourns passing of Sir Ivor Richardson

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson QC has paid tribute to former President of the Court of Appeal, Rt Hon Sir Ivor Richardson, who has died at the age of 84.

"It is hard to think of anyone who has made a more substantive contribution to the law and social policy than Sir Ivor Richardson,” Mr Finlayson said. “His was a career marked by excellence in everything he did.”

Having obtained his LLB at the University of Canterbury and his LLM and doctorate at the University of Michigan, Sir Ivor became a partner in an Invercargill firm, Macalister Brothers, from 1957 to 1963. From 1963-1966, he served as Crown Counsel in the Crown Law Office. From there, he joined the Law Faculty at Victoria University, where he was professor for six years and served as dean of the Law Faculty. Between 1973 and 1977, he was a partner in one of New Zealand’s leading commercial firms, Watts & Patterson.

Sir Ivor was appointed a judge of the then Supreme Court in 1977. Such was his reputation that he was almost immediately appointed to the Court of Appeal, where he served from 1978 to 2002.

He was President of the Court of Appeal from 1996 until his retirement.

“Sir Ivor’s contribution to New Zealand went beyond the law,” Mr Finlayson said. “He chaired the Royal Commission on Social Policy between 1986 and 1988, was responsible for the organisational review of the Inland Revenue Department in 1993 and 1994, and also found time to serve on the Council of Victoria University, where he was Chancellor from 1984 to 1986.”

“Sir Ivor Richardson was unfailingly courteous and pleasant to appear before. But if you weren’t on top of your material, his questions would destroy your case very quickly. He was quite simply an outstanding judge.”

“New Zealand has been fortunate to have someone of Sir Ivor’s calibre serving at the highest levels of the judiciary and in the other areas in which he worked.
On behalf of the Government, I extend my condolences to his wife, Jane, his children and family."

ends

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