Parliament announces four new appointments.
Justice Stephen Kós, Justice Mark Cooper, Justice Sarah Katz, and Justice Kiri Tahana have all been appointed to senior courts.
Attorney‑General David Parker has announced the raft of senior court appointments, with the Honourable Justice Stephen Kós appointed a judge of the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice William Young.
Justice Kós became a partner in Russell McVeagh in 1988. He joined the independent bar in 2005 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2007.
Kós was appointed a High Court Judge in 2011, a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2015, and President of the Court of Appeal in 2016.
With the promotion of Justice Kós, the Honourable Justice Mark Cooper will replace him in his role as president of the Court of Appeal.
After graduation, Justice Cooper joined Butler White & Hanna, which later merged into Simpson Grierson.
He commenced practice as a barrister sole in 1997 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2000. He was appointed a High Court Judge in 2004, and a Court of Appeal Judge in 2014.
Justice Cooper was appointed a High Court Judge in 2004, and a Court of Appeal Judge in 2014. He is of Ngati Mahānga descent, an iwi of Waikato‑Tainui.
Court of Appeal
The Honourable Justice Sarah Katz has been appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeal to fill the vacancy created in that Court.
Justice Katz spent several years with Chapman Tripp, then worked for Herbert Smith in London before returning to New Zealand and joining Buddle Findlay, becoming a partner in 1997.
She was the senior litigation partner at Russell McVeagh before being appointed to the High Court bench in 2012.
The Attorney-General today also announced that Justice Kiri Tahana, Te Arawa (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Mākino and Tapuika) has been appointed to the High Court.
After graduating, Tahana started the following year as a solicitor with Bell Gully in Wellington, working on Māori legal issues, including litigation concerning the distribution of Māori fisheries settlement assets.
She worked for Walters Williams & Co for a year before moving overseas and working in Sydney, London and the United Arab Emirates.
Tahana returned in 2017 and joined the partnership of Kāhui Legal in Rotorua, and became managing partner in 2019.
The appointment of Justice Kós will take effect on April 22, and the appointments of Justice Cooper and Justice Katz take effect on April 26.
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