Senior Judicial Appointments Announced for Supreme Court

Justice Neil Campbell’s legal career spans more than three decades and combines both academic achievement and extensive litigation experience.

Attorney-General Chris Bishop has announced two significant appointments to New Zealand's senior courts, with Justice Neil Ross Campbell joining the Supreme Court and Justice David Gary Johnstone being appointed to the Court of Appeal.

Both appointments will take effect from 16 July 2026 and bring decades of legal, academic and courtroom experience to two of the country's most important judicial institutions. The appointments come as the judiciary continues to benefit from highly experienced legal professionals who have built distinguished careers across private practice, academia, public prosecution and the bench.

Justice Campbell brings academic and commercial law expertise

Justice Neil Campbell's legal career spans more than three decades and combines both academic achievement and extensive litigation experience. After graduating from the University of Auckland in 1992 with degrees in law and commerce, he began his career at Bell Gully before moving to the United Kingdom. There, he earned a Master of Laws degree with first-class honours from the University of Cambridge and later lectured at the University of Nottingham.

Returning to New Zealand in 1995, Campbell joined the University of Auckland's Faculty of Law, eventually becoming an Associate Professor. While teaching, he also maintained a legal practice and later moved into full-time litigation work, handling a broad range of civil disputes involving contracts, property, companies and trusts.

His standing within the legal profession was recognised with his appointment as Queen's Counsel in 2013. He currently chairs the New Zealand Council of Legal Education, a role he holds following nomination by the Chief Justice. Campbell was appointed to the High Court in 2020 and joined the Court of Appeal in 2024 before his latest elevation to the Supreme Court.

Justice Johnstone's career shaped by major criminal cases

Justice David Johnstone has built a reputation as one of New Zealand's leading criminal law specialists through years of prosecution work and courtroom advocacy. A graduate of the University of Auckland, he began his legal career at Bell Gully before pursuing postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge, where he completed a Master of Laws degree with honours.

Following his return to New Zealand, Johnstone joined Meredith Connell, the Auckland Crown Solicitor's firm. Over more than two decades, he worked on major criminal prosecutions, jury trials, appeals and regulatory cases. His work covered complex areas including organised crime, corruption, serious fraud and national security matters.

He became a partner at the firm in 2005 and later moved to the independent bar in 2022, focusing on criminal law as well as commercial compliance and investigations. Johnstone was appointed to the High Court in 2023. His move to the Court of Appeal marks the next stage in a career that has seen him play a key role in some of New Zealand's most significant criminal and regulatory cases.