William Young (judge)

For other judges of this name, see William Young (disambiguation).

The Honourable Sir William Young KNZM QC
President of the Court of Appeal
In office 2006–2010
Preceded by	Sir Noel Anderson
Succeeded by	Mark O'Regan
Personal details
Born	(1952-04-14) 14 April 1952
Spouse(s)	Susan Mary Young

Sir William Gillow Gibbes Austen Young, KNZM

QC

(born 14 April 1952) is a Supreme Court Judge, and former President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by Attorney-General Chris Finlayson in June 2010, taking effect from 1 July.

Education and early career

Young was educated at Christ's College (secondary school) in Christchurch, University of Canterbury (LLB (Hons)) and University of Cambridge (PhD) in the UK. After obtaining his PhD, Young worked in the Christchurch law firm R A Young Hunter & Co, before moving to the independent bar to become a barrister sole in 1988. Young was made a Queen's Counsel in 1991 and acted in several high-profile cases, including the Winebox Inquiry of the 1990s.

Judge

Young was appointed a High Court Judge in Christchurch in 1997, a Court of Appeal Judge when the Supreme Court was created in 2004, and to the position of President in January 2006. Young was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court with effect from 1 July 2010. Young in R v Wanhalla described model jury directions in a criminal trial on the standard of proof required.

He was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM) in June 2007, and knighted in August 2009 when the new National Government reinstated knighthoods.

Non-judicial involvement

While a barrister, Young was involved with the New Zealand Law Society educational programme and, since appointment to the bench, with the Institute of Judicial Studies, being the primary author of its Criminal Jury Trials Bench Book. He wrote "Summing Up to Juries - What Jury Research says about Current Rules and Practice" [2003] Crim LR 665 and co-authored a chapter in Witness Testimony: Psychological, Investigative and Evidential Perspectives (Oxford University Press 26 October 2006).

Styles and Honours

Formal

• Dr William Young (1978–1991)
• Dr William Young QC (1991–1997)
• The Hon. Justice William Young QC (1997–2007)
• The Hon. Justice William Young DCNZM QC (2007–2009)
• The Hon. Justice Sir William Young KNZM QC (2009–present)