Story: Law

Justice Joe Williams

Judge Joe Williams sitting behind microphone. He has a beard and glasses and is dressed in a black legal gown, white shirt and tie.

In May 2019, Justice Joseph Williams (Ngāti Pūkenga, Te Arawa) became the first Māori lawyer appointed to the Supreme Court.

With a background in Māori and environmental law, Williams became chief judge of the Māori Land Court in 1999. He was made deputy chairperson of the Waitangi Tribunal in 2000 and chairperson in 2004. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court in 2008 and a judge of the Court of Appeal in 2018.

Using this item

Radio New Zealand – Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Geoffrey Palmer, 'Law - The judiciary', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/47744/justice-joe-williams (accessed 29 April 2024)

Story by Geoffrey Palmer, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 Oct 2016