Hon Judith Collins KC
Attorney-General

Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on 31 July 2025.

He graduated from the University of Auckland in 1992 and was admitted to the bar the same year, obtaining an LLB (Hons) in 1994. He initially practised as a solicitor with Simpson Grierson in Auckland before joining the general litigation team at Kensington Swan.

Justice Whata obtained an LLM (1st class) from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and in 1997 joined Russell McVeagh, where he specialised in resource management law and Māori issues. He became a partner in 2001.

He was appointed a High Court Judge in 2011.

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