Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie (born 18 January 1940) was the first
Māori appointed as a
judge of a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
. 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
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 ...
,
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
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
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 ...