The Honourable Sir Stephen Kós, of Porirua, KNZM, for services to the judiciary and legal education
The Honourable Sir Stephen Kós was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand in April 2022. Sir Stephen was previously a High Court Judge from 2011 to 2015, Judge of the Court of Appeal from 2015 and President of the Court of Appeal from 2016 until 2022. He joined the Independent Bar in 2005 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2007. He has taught restitution, evidence and civil procedure at Victoria University Law School. He was Pro-Chancellor of Massey University from 2006 to 2011 and currently teaches equity at Melbourne Law School. He has been a Moderator and Assessor for the Council of Legal Education. He has undertaken ‘roadshow’ seminars for the Law Society’s educational programme and been a faculty member of the Law Society’s Advanced Litigation Schools course. He has contributed to legal research and scholarship, with book chapters and articles published in law journals. He has continued to contribute to legal education through involvement with Te Kura Kaiwhakawā Institute of Judicial Studies, designing and presenting several courses. He was on the Te Kura Board for six years and helped reshape the curriculum and approach to judicial education in New Zealand. As President of the Court of Appeal, Sir Stephen championed a programme to ensure junior counsel have the opportunity to present legal submissions alongside lead counsel when appearing in court.