Sir John Steele Henry (born 3 July 1932) is a New Zealand jurist and former
Court of Appeal judge, and member of the well-known
Henry family.
Henry was born in 1932 in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
, the son of former High Court judge, the Hon. Sir
Trevor Henry. He was educated at
King's College, Auckland
King's College (Latin: ''Collegium Regis''; mi, Kīngi Kāreti), often informally referred to simply as King's, is an independent secondary boarding and day school in New Zealand. It educates over 1000 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years. King's was o ...
, before attending Law School at the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
. He graduated with an LLB in 1954 and was admitted to the New Zealand bar in 1955.
He worked as a barrister and solicitor at the Henry family law firm, Wilson Henry (now Hesketh Henry) that was established by his father, Sir Trevor, and gained a reputation as a robust litigator, building a substantial commercial litigation team at the firm. He was made a Queen's Counsel in 1980.
In 1984, he was appointed to the bench of the
High Court of New Zealand
The High Court of New Zealand ( mi, Te Kōti Matua o Aotearoa) is the superior court of New Zealand. It has general jurisdiction and responsibility, under the Senior Courts Act 2016, as well as the High Court Rules 2016, for the administration ...
, later being a Commercial List Judge
and then Executive Judge prior to being appointed to the Criminal Appeal Division of the Court of Appeal in 1991 and Justice of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand in 1995.
In 1996 he became a member of the
Privy Council and sat on its Judicial Committee. He was also a justice of the High Court of the Cook Islands.
In the
2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, Henry was appointed a
Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
, for services as a judge of the Court of Appeal. In
2009, following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government, he accepted redesignation as a
Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
.
In 1957, Henry married Jennefer Lynne Stevenson. They had one son and two daughters.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, John
1932 births
Living people
University of Auckland alumni
Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
High Court of New Zealand judges
Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges
People educated at King's College, Auckland
New Zealand judges on the courts of the Cook Islands
Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
New Zealand King's Counsel
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom