Thomas Eichelbaum
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The Right Honourable Sir Thomas Eichelbaum GBE QC |
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|---|---|
| 11th Chief Justice of New Zealand | |
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In office 1989 – 17 May 1999 |
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| Nominated by | David Lange |
| Appointed by | Sir Paul Reeves |
| Preceded by | Sir Ronald Davison |
| Succeeded by | Dame Sian Elias |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 May 1931 Königsberg, Germany |
| Spouse(s) | Vida, Lady Eichelbaum |
Sir Johann Thomas Eichelbaum GBE PC QC (born 17 May 1931) was the 11th Chief Justice of New Zealand.
Eichelbaum was born in Königsberg, Germany, and his family emigrated to Wellington, New Zealand in 1938 to escape the persecution of Jews. he was educated at Hutt Valley High School, then attended Victoria University of Wellington graduating with a LL.B in 1954.
In 1978 Eichelbaum was appointed a Queen's Counsel and during 1980-1982 was President of the New Zealand Law Society. In 1982 Eichelbaum was appointed a judge of the High Court of New Zealand. The highest judicial position Eichelbaum held was in 1989 when he was appointed the Chief Justice of New Zealand and retired from the Bench in 1999.
Since retiring as a judge, Sir Thomas has conducted investigations on a number of controversial topics. He chaired the 2000–2001 Report of the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. He also investigated the reasons for New Zealand losing co-hosting rights to the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Following his report, the chairman and the CEO of the New Zealand Rugby Union both resigned.
In 2001, he conducted a ministerial inquiry reviewing children's evidence in the controversial Peter Ellis case. His report, which has been widely criticised, upheld the guilty verdicts and stands in contrast to an earlier report by retired High Court judge, Sir Thomas Thorp. A New Zealand Law Journal editorial has stated that Eichelbaum had either not read all the children's statements (reviewing only those allowed by the trial judge) or that, "with respect, his judgment is at fault."
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