A Life Forensic

About the Author

Kings Counsel Nigel Hampton cnzm, obe is one of New Zealand’s leading criminal defence lawyers, with over six decades in the law and expertise ranging from high-profile criminal defence trials – among them Peter Hugh McGregor Ellis v R – to major inquiries including Pike River, the CTV building collapse and the Christchurch mosque shootings. From 1995 to 1997, he served as Chief Justice of the Kingdom of Tonga, the first New Zealander to occupy this position.

His advocacy work has helped to shape the legal landscape in New Zealand. His support for a voluntary duty solicitor scheme in the early 1970s – to address the uneven state of legal representation – was the beginning of his criminal law reform efforts; these efforts culminated in the establishment, in 2020, of the Criminal Cases Review Commission Te Kāhui Tātari Ture to investigate and rectify miscarriages of justice.

In addition to acting as chair of the New Zealand Law Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, Nigel Hampton has built an international reputation in his efforts to support professional standards and trust in the legal profession, becoming the first Disciplinary Commissioner of Counsel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2007.

Nigel Hampton lives in Christchurch with his wife, Jennifer, and finds sanctuary at their place in Kawatea Okains Bay, on Banks Peninsula.