The commission recommendations fed into the recently released overhaul of courts announced by Justice Minister Judith Collins. The overhaul included setting in place rules dictating the situations which would force judges to stand down from cases - a move seen by many as removing the need for a register.
Mr Wilson told the Herald he supported the clearer guidance released on situations in which a judge should recuse themselves from a case, but saw the measure as part of a package which included a register of interests and the new appointment guidelines.
"It was my concern any other judge should not go through a similar experience [that] is essentially why I supported a register."
He said recusal rules had to avoid excluding judges. "It is important a judge doesn't sit in a case where he or she is conflicted. It is equally important judges don't use alleged conflicts as a reason for not sitting in a case they don't want to sit on."
Mr Wilson said a publicly accessible register would have allowed his business links to a lawyer appearing before him to be widely known. He said he had attempted to achieve clarity in the court with a phone call to lawyers involved in the case.
"If they'd had a register, I wouldn't have had to do that. I sought to achieve informally what would have been achieved formally by a register."
He said disclosure of the business arrangement on a register would not have revealed who owed money to whom but would have declared the relationship, which could then have been inquired into further.
Mr Wilson's submission to the commission described as "a legal and accounting nonsense" the phrase "direct or indirect indebtedness" used by the Supreme Court to describe his and Mr Galbraith's financial situation. He said he disagreed with the finding and the phrase that "set the whole thing off".
"I have no complaint at all about the media picking that up. They were perfectly entitled to say, 'This is very significant - Supreme Court judges say another judge at that court appeared in a case at a time when he was substantially in debt to one of the counsel appearing'. If I'd been in the media I would have made a feature of that. It was perfectly legitimate."
Mr Wilson now works as an arbitrator, mediator and legal adviser in disputes on commercial deals. He described the issue that arose as "distressing". "I think it was probably more embarrassing for the judiciary generally."
The bill's sponsor, Green MP Dr Kennedy Graham, said the Bill Wilson case and "debacle" it caused meant a solution had to be found. "Debacle in the sense it was a sad outcome - he is a talented guy. My only concern was that kind of thing shouldn't happen again."
Rules revealed
Rules for appointing judges have been released publicly for the first time, removing the mystique of judicial appointments. Attorney General Chris Finlayson, QC, said his role recommending the appointment of judges for the High Court, Appeal Court and Supreme Court was "a most important responsibility in a democracy".
The rules set out clear criteria for selection and processes showing how appointment happens. It also sets out rules for encouraging diversity in the judiciary and keeps a confidential database of those interested in the job.
