Bruce Alan Palmer (24 November 1935 – 3 April 2017) was a New Zealand lawyer and judge who sat on the bench of various courts for 27 years. Born in

Napier Napier may refer to: People * Napier (surname), including a list of people with that name * Napier baronets, five baronetcies and lists of the title holders Given name * Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist * Napier Waller (1893–19 ...

on 24 November 1935, Palmer moved with his family to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

when he was six months old. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Wellington, from 1949 to 1953, captaining the school's 1st XV

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

team. He went on to study law at

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, graduating

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...

in 1959. After a short period as a law clerk in Wellington, Palmer was appointed as a prosecutor in Fiji, rising to become acting solicitor-general before returning to New Zealand in 1968. During his time in Fiji, he was involved in a large number of murder trials, and he accumulated a body of professional experience which was unusual for such a young lawyer at the time. He joined

Bell Gully Bell Gully is a major New Zealand law firm. Founded in 1840 it is one of New Zealand's largest law firms, and along with Chapman Tripp and Russell McVeagh it is considered to be one of the "big three". Bell Gully is a full-service law firm. M ...

as a litigation lawyer, becoming a partner of that firm in 1971. He specialized in family, and criminal law. Moving to

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, Palmer was appointed to the bench of the

Magistrates Court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Cou ...

(now the District Court) judge in 1975. He sat on the bench of the

Family Court Family courts were originally created to be a Court of Equity convened to decide matters and make orders in relation to family law, including custody of children, and could disregard certain legal requirements as long as the petitioner/plaintif ...

after its establishment in 1981. In 1988 he was one of the inaugural appointments as a judge of the Labour Court (renamed the

Employment Court The New Zealand Employment Relations Act 2000 (sometimes known by its acronym, ERA) is a statute of the Parliament of New Zealand. It was substantially amended by the Employment Relations (Validation of Union Registration and Other Matters) A ...

in 1991). Palmer retired as a judge in 2003. During his career he earned respect for his thoroughness, precision, compassion and prodigious memory, but he'll also be remembered as the judge who drove a black Zephyr Zodiac. While work was a huge part of his life, family was also very important. He had eight children with his wife Gillian. In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, Palmer was appointed a

Companion of the Queen's Service Order The Queen's Service Order, established by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the pu ...

for public services. In 2012 he was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by the Roman Catholic Church, in recognition of his many years of work in Catholic secondary school education, and his service as chairman and Bishop's delegate for the Sexual Abuse Protocol Committee in the Christchurch diocese. Palmer died at his home in Christchurch on 3 April 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Bruce 1935 births 2017 deaths People from Napier, New Zealand People educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington Victoria University of Wellington alumni 20th-century New Zealand judges New Zealand expatriates in Fiji Companions of the Queen's Service Order New Zealand Roman Catholics Family Court of New Zealand judges Employment Court of New Zealand judges District Court of New Zealand judges