24 June 2026 Media Statement: Chief Justice welcomes judicial appointments

The Chief Justice welcomes the Attorney-General’s announcement today of the appointments of Justice Neil Campbell as a Judge of the Supreme Court and Justice David Johnstone as a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

The appointments of Justice Campbell and Justice Johnstone will take effect on 16 July 2026, following the retirement of Justice Forrest Miller as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

Biographies 

Justice Neil Campbell
Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Honours) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United Kingdom, where he obtained an LLM (First) from the University of Cambridge and lectured at the University of Nottingham.

Justice Campbell returned to New Zealand in 1995, becoming an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland.

He joined the independent bar in 1998 and practised part-time alongside his academic responsibilities. In 2008, he moved to full-time practice as a general civil litigator specialising in contract, property, company, and trust disputes. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2013.

Justice Campbell is the current Chair of the New Zealand Council of Legal Education. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 2020, and a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2024.

Justice David Johnstone
Justice Johnstone graduated from the University of Auckland in 1991 with a BCom/LLB (Honours) and joined Bell Gully as a solicitor practising in general commercial litigation.

During 1993 and 1994 he studied at the University of Cambridge, graduating with LLM (Honours) in 1994. He left Bell Gully in 1996.

In 1998 Justice Johnstone joined the Auckland Crown Solicitor’s firm, Meredith Connell, conducting District Court and High Court jury trials and regulatory prosecutions and civil proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1991. He became a partner in 2005, and focused on criminal prosecutions and appeals, with a particular speciality in organised crime, corruption, serious fraud and national security.

In 2022 Justice Johnstone joined the independent bar specialising in criminal law and commercial compliance, investigations and proceedings. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 2023.