High Court judge praises media in final sitting before retirement

A retiring High Court judge has thanked media for the role it plays in open justice at his final sitting.

Justice Gerald Nation had his final sitting as a judge in the High Court at the Christchurch Justice Precinct on Thursday in front of courtroom packed full of judges, distinguished lawyers and court staff.

Justice Nation began as a defence lawyer in the early 1990s and was appointed as a High Court judge in 2015. He was known for the huge amount of voluntary work – serving on 19 different committees and as president of the Canterbury law society council.

He presided over a number of notable cases as High Court judge including the recent trial and sentencing of Alana Bamber and Joshua Morris-Bamber for the murder of Tony Waldron, and the sentencing of teenager Armani Williams for the manslaughter of Levi Haami at a supermarket car park.

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On Thursday, he thanked Stuff for its contribution to keeping justice open to the public:

“Crucial to justice being open, is the willingness of news organisations to allow their representatives to be in court and follow what happens. I want to acknowledge organisations like Stuff for allowing that to happen,” he said.

Justice Nation paid particular respect to journalists who followed cases closely and meticulously in court, and gave a specific mention to Stuff journalist Martin van Beynen.

“The contribution he has made to open justice through the way he reports on cases of major public interest, because of his commitment to his craft, the principles of justice are upheld.”

He said he was sure younger journalists “would look to operate in the same way.”

“We as judges rely on the integrity of journalists to adhere to suppressions and report fairly on cases… I have been most grateful when media have taken the initiative to ask what can and can’t be said about what happens in court.”

The retiring judge, also known for his calm demeanour and polite sense of humour, thanked everyone who attended his final sitting, and made a number of quips throughout the proceeding, including apologising to lawyers for his well-known lengthy judgements (his first of which was 730 paragraphs long).

He said he was hugely impressed with the level of law representation in Canterbury.

“I often wondered how I’m sitting here and you were standing there, and I’m sure you’ve all wondered the same at least once too.

”Thank you for making this for me what will always be a memorable occasion.”