The office of King's Counsel was established in New Zealand in 1907.[1] During the reign of a male sovereign, appointees are called King's Counsel, and this applied from 1907 to 1952 during the reign of Edward VII (1907–1910),[2] George V (1910–1936),[3] Edward VIII (1936),[4] and George VI (1936–1952).[5] During Elizabeth II's reign (February 1952 – September 2022), new appointees were called Queen's Counsel and living King's Counsel became Queen's Counsel.[6] Forty-three King's Counsel had been appointed before 1952.[7] When King Charles III ascended the throne on 9 September 2022 (New Zealand Time), living Queen's Counsel automatically became King's Counsel.
Appointments in New Zealand can be made annually by the Governor-General acting on behalf of the sovereign. Recommendations are made by the Attorney-General with concurrence by the Chief Justice.[1] When the first ten appointments were made in June 1907 by Chief Justice Sir Robert Stout, two were from Auckland, four were from Wellington, two were from Christchurch, and two were from Dunedin.[8] The first King's Counsel to die was Thomas Joynt on 5 September 1907, less than three months after his appointment;[9] Joynt had been the senior member of the bar in the country.[8]
Of the 108 years since 1907 (as of 2015), there have been 40 years in which no appointments were made.[10] There have been 364 warrant holders so far.[11][12]
The first women appointed to the office were Sian Elias and Lowell Goddard in 1988.
- ^ a b Stevens, Donald. "History of Queen's Counsel". Dr Donald Stevens QC. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ "King Edward VII". NNDB. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ "King George V". Britroyals. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ "Edward VIII". English Monarchs. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ "George VI". English Monarchs. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ "A rare honour: Queen's Counsel in New Zealand". New Zealand Law Society. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Adlam, Geoff (18 July 2014). "Queen's Counsel rank recognises excellence". my.lawsociety. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ a b "King's Counsel". The Star. No. 8949. 7 June 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ "Obituary". The Star. No. 9026. 5 September 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ "Crown Law lists Queen's Counsel appointments since 1907". my.lawsociety. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ "King's Counsel appointments". New Zealand Law Society. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "King's Counsel appointments 2024". Hon Judith Collins KC. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
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