His appointment will take effect on 1 July
Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann has welcomed Gregory Blanchard's appointment as a High Court judge and Anne Hinton as acting judge of the Court of Appeal, as reported in an article by the New Zealand Bar Association.
Attorney-General Judith Collins announced Blanchard's appointment. Meanwhile, Governor-General Cindy Kiro appointed Hinton, acting on the attorney general’s advice.
Blanchard graduated with an LLB (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts (English) at the University of Auckland. From 1996 until 1999, he was a solicitor affiliated with the now-named Dentons Kensington Swan in Auckland. In 2000, he moved to the UK, where he worked for law firm Baker McKenzie in London until 2002.
Afterwards, Blanchard returned to New Zealand and joined Dentons Kensington Swan again before becoming a partner in 2004. In 2008, he became a barrister sole and gained experience in commercial litigation. In 2017, he was appointed as the Queen’s Counsel.
With his appointment taking effect on 1 July, Blanchard will be sitting in Auckland. He is set to be sworn in at the Auckland High Court on 5 July.
Before Hinton was appointed acting judge of the Court of Appeal, she had served as the judge of the High Court of New Zealand beginning in 2015.
Hinton studied law at Auckland University before moving to Washington, DC. After two years, she returned to New Zealand and became a partner at Hesketh Henry before joining Simpson Grierson. She became a barrister in 1997 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002.
Hinton will take on the role of acting judge of the Court of Appeal starting on 1 July 2024 until 30 June 2025.
