Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie (born 18 January 1940) was the first Māori appointed as a judge of a

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. He is of Rangitāne, Ngāti Kauwhata and

Ngāti Raukawa Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupo and Manawatu/Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa. History Early history Ngāti Raukawa rec ...

descent; Mason Durie (1889–1971) was his grandfather.

Early life and education

Durie graduated with a BA and an LLB from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

in 1964. He holds honorary doctorates from

, Massey University and the

University of Waikato , mottoeng = For The People , established = 1964; years ago , endowment = (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $263.6 million (31 December 2020) , chancellor = Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ , vice_chancellor = Neil Quigley , cit ...

Career

Durie was appointed a Judge in 1974 and then was the Chief Judge of the

Māori Land Court The Māori Land Court (Māori: Te Kōti Whenua Māori) is the specialist court of record in New Zealand that hears matters relating to Māori land. Māori Land Court history The Māori Land Court was established in 1865 as the Native Land Cou ...

from 1980–1998, Chairman of the Waitangi Tribunal from 1980–2004, and a Law Commissioner. In 1998 he was appointed to the High Court. He retired from the High Court in 2004, at which point he was the longest-serving member of the

New Zealand judiciary New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. In 2009, Durie was appointed by

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Chris Finlayson Christopher Francis Finlayson (born 1956) is a New Zealand lawyer and former Member of Parliament, representing the National Party. He was elected to Parliament in 2005. In the Fifth National Government, from 2008 to 2017, he was Attorney-Ge ...

to chair the Ministerial taskforce on the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. In 2012, Durie was elected to the Maori Council and elected co-chair, a role he held until being appointed the sole chair of the national body in April 2016.

Honours and awards

In 1977, Durie was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, and in 1990 he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. In the 2008 New Year Honours, Durie was appointed a

Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to the Maori Land Court, Waitangi Tribunal and High Court of New Zealand. In 2009, following the reinstatement of titular honours by the New Zealand government, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit.

Personal life

Durie is married to lawyer Donna Hall who operates a law firm, Woodward, from their home in Lower Hutt New Zealand. He is the younger brother of renowned Māori academic, Professor Sir Mason Durie. On 13 April 2002, Durie's 8-month-old adopted daughter Kahurautete ('Kahu') was kidnapped at gunpoint in Lower Hutt and held for $3 million ransom. Kahu was found by police eight days later, away in

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of T ...

. The kidnapper was sentenced to eleven years imprisonment and released after serving seven years. The kidnapping was the subject of the 2010 film ''Stolen: The Baby Kahu Story'' in which Eddie Durie was played by George Henare.

References

External links

'Our Team' – New Zealand Māori Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durie, Edward Taihakurei High Court of New Zealand judges Massey University faculty Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Living people 1940 births New Zealand Māori academics Place of birth missing (living people) Victoria University of Wellington alumni Rangitāne people Ngāti Raukawa people New Zealand Māori judges People from Feilding Members of the Waitangi Tribunal

Eddie Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...