Attorney-General Announces Appointment of Three New District Court Judges

Judge Nathan was admitted to the bar in New Zealand in 2021, having previously been admitted in Queensland, Australia, in 2001.

Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles in July and August at the Manukau, Rotorua, and Invercargill courts, are:

Matthew Nathan

Judge Nathan was admitted to the bar in New Zealand in 2021, having previously been admitted in Queensland, Australia, in 2001. Born in New Zealand, he moved to Australia with his family as a child. He studied law at Queensland University of Technology and began his career with the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions in 2001, becoming a Crown Prosecutor in 2004 and Senior Crown Prosecutor in 2007.

In 2008, Judge Nathan moved to Darwin as Senior Crown Prosecutor and took silk in 2015 after being appointed Senior Counsel of the Northern Territory Supreme Court. He served as Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions from 2017 to 2021 and was elected President of the Australian Association of Crown Prosecutors in 2019. Returning to New Zealand in 2021, he joined Meredith Connell as Special Counsel and became a partner in 2023.

Judge Nathan will be based at Manukau and will be sworn in on 10 August.

Joanne Wickliffe

Judge Wickliffe was admitted to the bar in 1999 after graduating from Auckland University. Before her legal career, she worked as a legal secretary, an administrator at a local freezing works, and a reporter/photographer at a community newspaper. She spent nine years as a barrister sole, followed by seven years with the Public Defence Service, before returning to the private bar eight years ago and becoming a founding member of Pohutukawa Chambers in Auckland. She has specialized in criminal law throughout her career.

Judge Wickliffe will be based in Rotorua and will be sworn in on 2 August.

Mark Williams

Judge Williams was born in Singapore and moved to the UK as a child. He holds a BSc (First Class Hons) from the University of Exeter and gained his legal qualifications at the Inns of Court School of Law in the UK in 1996. Admitted to the bar in New Zealand in 2010, he began his legal career in 1997 in London as a member of Argent Chambers, focusing on criminal law as both prosecutor and defense counsel.

After moving to New Zealand, he worked as a mediator with Dispute Resolution Services in Auckland and joined Meredith Connell as an associate in 2011. From 2014 to 2016, he served as General Counsel for the NZ Serious Fraud Office before joining the Crown Solicitor’s office in Manukau as a principal prosecutor from 2017 to 2021. Most recently, he has been the Public Defender for Manukau with the Public Defence Service.

Judge Williams will be based in Invercargill and will be sworn in on 25 July.