Sir John Joseph McGrath (10 March 1945 – 19 October 2018) was a judge of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of New Zealand, serving in that role from 2005 until 2015.Hon Justice McGrath, Final Sitting Speech, Friday 6 March 2015
(Retrieved 13 March 2015) He was also a judge of the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

from 2000 to 2005, and the

Solicitor-General of New Zealand The Solicitor-General (or Solicitor General) is the second law officer of state in New Zealand. The Solicitor-General is also head of the Crown Law Office, that comprises lawyers employed to represent the Attorney-General in court proceedings in ...

from 1989 to 2000.

Career

Born in

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 ...

, McGrath attended

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

and graduated with an LL.M. from

Victoria University of Wellington 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 ...

in 1968. He was a partner in Buddle Findlay, in Wellington, until he moved to the separate bar in 1984. He became

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1987 and he was Solicitor-General between 1989 and 2000. McGrath was appointed to the Court of Appeal in July 2000 and to the Supreme Court in May 2005. In the

2007 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2007 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...

, he 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 to the Appeal and Supreme Courts. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, following the re-introduction of titular honours by the New Zealand government, McGrath 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 ren ...

. McGrath died in Wellington on 19 October 2018 at the age of 73."Sir John McGrath has died", New Zealand Law Society, 23 October 2018
(Retrieved 23 October 2018)

References

Sources

''National Business Review'', Arise Sir... or Dame... for 70 on honours list
by Nevil Gibson, 1 August 2009 (accessed 8:17PM 1 November 2009)
kiwisfirst.co.nz
Profile
Hon Justice McGrath, Final Sitting Speech, Friday 6 March 2015
(Retrieved 13 March 2015) 1945 births 2018 deaths Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Victoria University of Wellington alumni 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Supreme Court of New Zealand judges Solicitors-General of New Zealand New Zealand King's Counsel People from Wellington City People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School 21st-century New Zealand judges {{NewZealand-law-bio-stub