The Right Honourable Dame Helen Winkelmann GNZM, Chief Justice of New Zealand
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The Rt Hon Dame Helen Winkelmann was sworn in as New Zealand’s 13th Chief Justice on 14 March 2019. She is the second Chief Justice since the Supreme Court of New Zealand was established in 2004.
A graduate from Auckland University, Justice Winkelmann began her career at Auckland firm Nicholson Gribbin (later Phillips Fox, now DLA Piper). Justice Winkelmann remained at the firm until 2001, when she began practice as a barrister sole specialising in insolvency, commercial litigation, and medical disciplinary litigation.
She was appointed as a High Court Judge in 2004, and as Chief High Court Judge in 2010. She was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2015, before being appointed to the Supreme Court in 2018.
As Chief High Court Judge, Justice Winkelmann introduced reforms to improve the Court’s processes and, alongside other Heads of Bench, adapted court procedures to reflect New Zealand's founding cultures. Court sessions now begin and conclude in English and te reo Māori.
As Chief Justice, her priorities include facilitating access to justice, connecting the courts to the community, supporting a more representative judiciary, and making the courts more resilient to enable them to deal with disruption and change.
In addition, the Chief Justice is concerned with positioning the courts to benefit from the adoption of new technology, without compromising the human quality of the justice system. To this end, she oversaw the development of the Digital Strategy for Courts and Tribunals, which outlines 13 core principles for adopting digital technology in the court system. She also established an AI working group to guide the responsible use of AI in the courts and is developing principles for remote participation.
Chief Justice Winkelmann’s speeches are available on the Speeches, papers and interviews page.