Minister of Justice (New Zealand)

The Minister of Justice is a minister in the New Zealand Government. The minister has responsibility for the formulation of justice policy and for the administration of law courts.

Minister of Justice
Incumbent
Paul Goldsmith
since 27 November 2023
Ministry of Justice
StyleThe Honourable
Member of
Reports toPrime Minister of New Zealand
AppointerGovernor-General of New Zealand
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation13 June 1870
First holderHenry Sewell
Salary$288,900[1]
Websitewww.beehive.govt.nz

The current Minister of Justice is Paul Goldsmith since 27 November 2023.[2]

History edit

The first Minister of Justice was appointed in 1870. This was followed in 1872 by the creation of the Department of Justice.

The Attorney-General is responsible for supervising New Zealand law and advising the Government on legal matters, and has ministerial jurisdiction over the Crown Law Office and the Parliamentary Counsel Office. The position is separate from that of 'Minister of Justice', though the two positions have sometimes been held by the same person, e.g. Geoffrey Palmer (1984 to 1989).[3]

Responsibility for the police has never technically belonged to the Minister of Justice per se. Originally, the Minister of Defence was responsible. During the early 20th century, however, it became established that the person serving as Minister of Justice was also the minister in charge of the police. This continued until the election of the First Labour Government in 1935, when responsibility for the police became detached – the Minister of Police was eventually established as a full ministerial post in 1969.

In 1995, the Department of Justice was split into three parts – a Ministry of Justice would deal with policy matters, while the practical administration of the court system and the prison system would be given their own departments. This resulted in the creation of two new ministerial portfolios – Minister of Court and Minister of Corrections. The former has since been absorbed back into the Justice portfolio, but the latter is still independent.

List of justice ministers edit

Key

  Independent   Liberal   Reform   United   Labour   National

No. Name Portrait Term of Office Prime Minister
1 Henry Sewell   13 June 1870 30 October 1871 Fox
2 John Bathgate   29 October 1872 20 February 1874 Waterhouse
Fox
Vogel
3 Maurice O'Rorke   20 February 1874 13 August 1874
4 Charles Bowen   16 December 1874 13 October 1877
Pollen
Vogel
Atkinson
5 John Sheehan   13 October 1877 8 October 1879 Grey
6 William Rolleston   15 December 1880 13 April 1881 Hall
7 Thomas Dick   13 April 1881 11 October 1882
Whitaker
8 Edward Conolly   11 October 1882 16 August 1884
Atkinson
9 Joseph Tole   3 September 1884 8 October 1887 Stout
10 Thomas Fergus   8 October 1887 17 October 1889 Atkinson
11 William Russell   17 October 1889 24 January 1891
12 William Pember Reeves   24 January 1891 28 May 1892 Ballance
13 Alfred Cadman   28 May 1892 1 May 1893
Seddon
(12) William Pember Reeves   20 July 1893 6 September 1893
(13) Alfred Cadman   6 September 1893 28 March 1895
(12) William Pember Reeves   28 March 1895 10 January 1896
14 William Hall-Jones   10 January 1896 2 March 1896
15 Thomas Thompson   2 March 1896 23 January 1900
16 James McGowan   23 January 1900 6 January 1909
Hall-Jones
Ward
17 John Findlay   6 January 1909 26 December 1911
18 Josiah Hanan   28 March 1912 10 July 1912 Mackenzie
19 Alexander Herdman   10 July 1912 12 August 1915 Massey
20 Robert McNab   12 August 1915 20 February 1917
(18) Josiah Hanan   20 February 1917 14 November 1917
21 Thomas Wilford   14 November 1917 25 August 1919
22 Gordon Coates   4 September 1919 3 April 1920
23 Ernest Lee   3 April 1920 13 January 1923
24 Francis Bell   13 January 1923 27 June 1923
25 James Parr   27 June 1923 18 January 1926
Bell
Coates
26 Frank Rolleston   18 January 1926 26 November 1928
27 William Downie Stewart Jr   26 November 1928 10 December 1928
(21) Thomas Wilford   10 December 1928 10 December 1929 Ward
28 Thomas Sidey   18 December 1929 28 May 1930
29 John Cobbe   28 May 1930 6 December 1935 Forbes
30 Rex Mason   6 December 1935 13 December 1949 Savage
Fraser
31 Clifton Webb   13 December 1949 26 November 1954 Holland
32 Jack Marshall   26 November 1954 12 December 1957
Holyoake
(30) Rex Mason   12 December 1957 12 December 1960 Nash
33 Ralph Hanan   12 December 1960 24 July 1969 Holyoake
34 Dan Riddiford   22 December 1969 9 February 1972
35 Roy Jack   9 February 1972 8 December 1972 Marshall
36 Martyn Finlay   8 December 1972 12 December 1975 Kirk
Rowling
37 David Thomson   12 December 1975 13 December 1978 Muldoon
38 Jim McLay   13 December 1978 26 July 1984
39 Geoffrey Palmer   26 July 1984 8 August 1989 Lange
40 Bill Jeffries   8 August 1989 2 November 1990 Palmer
Moore
41 Doug Graham   2 November 1990 1 February 1999 Bolger
Shipley
42 Tony Ryall   1 February 1999 10 December 1999
43 Phil Goff   10 December 1999 19 October 2005 Clark
44 Mark Burton   19 October 2005 31 October 2007
45 Annette King   31 October 2007 19 November 2008
46 Simon Power   19 November 2008 12 December 2011 Key
47 Judith Collins   12 December 2011 30 August 2014
Chris Finlayson
Acting Minister
  30 August 2014 8 October 2014
48 Amy Adams   8 October 2014 26 October 2017
English
49 Andrew Little   26 October 2017 6 November 2020 Ardern
50 Kris Faafoi   6 November 2020 14 June 2022
51 Kiri Allan   14 June 2022 24 July 2023
Hipkins
52 Ginny Andersen   24 July 2023 27 November 2023
53 Paul Goldsmith   27 November 2023 present Luxon

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Parliamentary Salaries and Allowances Determination 2016" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament.
  2. ^ "Reallocation of ministerial portfolios". New Zealand Parliament. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Sir Geoffrey Palmer" (PDF). United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law. Retrieved 15 September 2019.

External links edit