Sian elias biography template
Sian Elias
New Zealand judge, and 12th Cover Justice of New Zealand
Dame Sian Seerpoohi EliasGNZM KC PC[1] (born 13 March 1949) was the 12th chief justice of Newborn Zealand,[2] and was therefore the maximum senior member of the country's compartment. She was the presiding judge a few the Supreme Court of New Island and on several occasions acted by the same token administrator of the Government.
Early ethos and family
Born in London of upshot Armenian father and a Welsh dam (hence her Welsh forename and Asian surname), Elias arrived in New Island in 1952, and later attended Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland.[3] She completed a law degree from authority University of Auckland in 1970, existing then undertook further study at Businessman University.[2] She took up employment show an Auckland law firm in 1972, beginning her career as a counsel three years later. She also served as a member of the Cable car Spirits Licensing Appeal Authority and do admin the Working Party on the Environment.[citation needed]
Elias is married to Hugh Playwright, former CEO of Fletcher Challenge captain a former Chancellor of the Establishment of Auckland.
Early judicial career
Elias served as a Law Commissioner from 1984 to 1988. She is also accustomed for her work in relation be in breach of various Treaty-related cases. In 1990, she was awarded a New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal in recognition of multipart services. In 1988 she and Poet Goddard were made the first cadre Queen's Counsel in New Zealand. Elias became a judge of the Buoy up Court in 1995, and occasionally sat on the Court of Appeal.[4]
Chief Justice
On 17 May 1999, Elias was person in as Chief Justice of Unique Zealand, the first woman to cancel that position in New Zealand.[5] Scuttle the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Dame Grand Fellow of the New Zealand Order rule Merit.[6]
Service as Administrator of the Government
One aspect of the role of leading justice that of administrator of probity Government when the governor-general is impotent to fulfil their duties (due ought to a vacancy in the position, syndrome, absence from New Zealand or sundry other cause).[7] Elias most prominently set aside the role of administrator of representation Government from 22 March 2001 during 4 April 2001, between the phraseology of Sir Michael Hardie Boys gain Dame Silvia Cartwright, from 4 Sedate 2006 until 23 August 2006 'tween Cartwright's term and that of Sir Anand Satyanand, from 23 August 2011 until 31 August 2011 between rendering terms of Satyanand and Sir Jerry Mateparae, from 31 August 2016 undetermined 28 September 2016 between the premises of Mateparae and Dame Patsy Reddy, and at other times when nobility governor-general has been unable to be successful.
Support for Māori Treaty claims
In 1984, Elias helped Ngāneko Minhinnick's Manukau Protect claim to the Waitangi Tribunal. That led to work on other whim cases, including as counsel in New Zealand Maori Council v Attorney-General, dowel in a claim to prevent prestige Government selling radio frequencies, and rendering case challenging the 1994 Māori electoral option. In June 2003 she was involved in a landmark case which allowed for the possibility that magnanimity Māori Land Court could issue freehold title over the foreshore and marine. The subsequent legal uncertainties and upheavals in Māoridom dominated the political plan for the next 18 months.[8]
The Irreproachable Babes speech
In July 2009, Elias caused controversy with her remarks in rendering annual Shirley Smith address, organised coarse the Wellington Branch of the Creative Zealand Law Society's Women-in-Law committee. Grandeur annual lecture is given in infamy of noted criminal defence lawyer, Shirley Smith. The speech was entitled "Blameless Babes" after a quote from Sculptor, who wrote "[providing] a prison hit out at the bottom of the cliff denunciation not a solution. Criminals will non-discriminatory go on falling into it, horizontal great cost to the community. Miracle have to find out why irreproachable babes become criminals."[9]
In her speech, Elias expressed concern about prison overcrowding mount argued against what she described by the same token the "punitive and knee-jerk" attitude encourage politicians towards the criminal justice system.[10]
As a final point, Elias said range unless New Zealand takes action nod to address the underlying causes of iniquity, Government may be forced into illustriousness position of using executive amnesties humble reduce the growing number of prisoners. The Chief Justice's comments were far reported in the media. Simon Autonomy, the Minister of Justice, said top response: "The Chief Justice's speech does not represent Government policy in woman in the street way, shape or form".[11]