Justice Stephen Kós appointed Judge of Supreme Court

The Honourable Justice Sarah Katz has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal to fill the vacancy created in that Court.

The Honourable Justice Stephen Kós has been appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court and the Honourable Justice Mark Cooper will replace him as President of the Court of Appeal, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today.

The Honourable Justice Sarah Katz has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal to fill the vacancy created in that Court.

Justice Kós graduated LLB (Hons) from Victoria University in 1984 and LLM from Cambridge University in 1985. He became a partner in Russell McVeagh in 1988. He joined the independent bar in 2005 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2007.

He was appointed a High Court Judge in 2011, a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2015, and President of the Court of Appeal in 2016.

Justice Cooper graduated LLB (Hons), M Jur (Dist) from the University of Auckland in 1979, and joined Butler White & Hanna, which later merged into Simpson Grierson.

He commenced practice as a barrister sole in 1997 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2000. He was appointed a High Court Judge in 2004, and a Court of Appeal Judge in 2014. Justice Cooper is of Ngati Mahānga descent, an iwi of Waikato‑Tainui. 

Justice Katz graduated from the University of Otago in 1987 and went on to complete an LLM at the University of London, graduating in 1992.

She spent several years with Chapman Tripp, then worked for Herbert Smith in London before returning to New Zealand and joining Buddle Findlay, becoming a partner in 1997.  Justice Katz was the senior litigation partner at Russell McVeagh before being appointed to the High Court bench in 2012.

The appointment of Justice Kós will take effect on 22 April 2022. The appointments of Justice Cooper and Justice Katz take effect on 26 April 2022.

(With Inputs from New Zealand Government Press Release)