13 Facts About Lowell Goddard

Lowell Goddard is thought to be the first person of Maori ancestry to have been appointed to the High Court.

Lowell Goddard was educated at Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland, and then studied law at the University of Auckland, graduating in 1974.

Lowell Goddard was admitted to the bar in 1975, and started to practise as a barrister in 1977.

Lowell Goddard took part in a youth advocacy pilot for children and young people, and was a member of a panel on New Zealand's policy regarding children in care.

Lowell Goddard was Crown Counsel and Head of the Criminal Law Team at the Crown Law Office in Wellington from 1989 to 1995, and served as Deputy Solicitor-General of New Zealand from 1992 to 1995.

Lowell Goddard became a High Court judge in December 1995, based in Wellington, and is believed to be the first person of Maori descent to have served as a High Court judge.

Lowell Goddard sat as a member of the Criminal Division of the New Zealand Court of Appeal.

Lowell Goddard was the first woman to serve as chair of New Zealand's Independent Police Conduct Authority, from 2007 to 2012.

Lowell Goddard was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to the law.

In November 2016, Lowell Goddard announced that she would not be appearing in person before the Home Affairs Select Committee, citing legal advice; her decision was criticised by the committee's chairwoman, Yvette Cooper.

Lowell Goddard married John Scott, a British journalist, in 1969.

Lowell Goddard served in the Territorial Force of the New Zealand Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1992.

Lowell Goddard is Judge Advocate General of the New Zealand Armed Forces, and the Chief Judge of the Court Martial of New Zealand, and vice-president of the International Equestrian Federation.