The first judge of the Maori Supreme Court has been praised for raising Maori voices in the judiciary and brings a unique blend of intellectual rigor and tikanga to the legal world.
The Honorable Judge Sir Joe Williams.
Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The Honorable Judge Sir Joe Williams of Ngāti Pūkenga and Te Arawa has today received a knight for services to the judiciary, being appointed an accompanying knight of the Order of Merit of New Zealand.
He was the first in his family to get the school certificate. With a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Victoria and a Master of Laws from the University of British Columbia, Sir Joe was appointed Chief Justice of the Maori Land Court in 1999, President of the Waitangi Court in 2004, Judge of the Court Superior in 2008, and in 2018 and 2020, respectively, a court of appeal and then judge of the Supreme Court.
Talking to New at noon before Christmas, Sir Joe said he had no plans to study law when he entered Victoria University until he came across some young Maori law students, including Annette Sykes and Shane Jones.
“I thought‘ this thing about the law sounds pretty good. ’I had no idea what a lawyer was,” he said.
“When I told my older brother he was going to law school, he said to me, in more showy language than this,‘ Do you want to join the police? because I had no idea. Once I started in law school and realized the power of law, there was no looking back. “
Justice Minister Andrew Little said Sir Joe had made a huge contribution to raising Maori voices and Maori tikanga in his legal career in various courts.
“Sir Joe Williams has made an immense contribution to the elevation of Maori voices in the judicial system. This honor is well deserved,” Little said.
Read more here: