Catherine Cull (left) is the first King's Counsel from Northland, and took the silk at the High Court in Whangārei. Beside her is Northland Crown Prosecutor Mike Smith.
Catherine Cull (left) is the first King's Counsel from Northland, and took the silk at the High Court in Whangārei. Beside her is Northland Crown Prosecutor Mike Smith.
Legal practitioners in Northland witnessed a historic occasion when one of their own, Catherine Cull, took the silk, being named a King’s Counsel - the first such ceremony to be conducted in the region.
The Kaikohe-based criminal lawyer was flanked in the High Court at Whangārei on Friday by hermum Ann, daughter Isabella, sister Alex, and dozens of work colleagues, friends and well-wishers as Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann presided over the ceremony.
Those who couldn’t be accommodated in the High Court viewed the proceedings from another courtroom in the building, while others joined in from the Kaikohe Court via an audio-visual link.
Cull is the first lawyer based and practising in Northland to be called to the Inner Bar, and is among 10 new KCs named throughout New Zealand since King Charles III ascended to the throne in September last year.
Friday’s ceremony was also the first call to the Inner Bar ever held in Whangārei.
Administering the silk, the Chief Justice touched upon her family links to Northland, which she said was a place of profound significance in New Zealand’s legal and constitutional history.
Her mother was born and grew up in Takahiwai, the daughter of Dalmatian settlers, and her father’s family lived in the Hokianga.
Justice Winkelmann said Cull’s appointment was an acknowledgement of the importance of the work legal practitioners did in Northland, as well as the real legal needs that existed in the region.
Northland lawyer Catherine Cull is all smiles taking the silk after being named a King's Counsel. Photo / Karina Cooper
There was a need and an opportunity for the law to play its true role as a protector of communities in Northland that were among the poorest in the country and for whom legal problems were among the most complex, she said.
“But this ideal can only be achieved if there are lawyers who understand their communities, are motivated by the spirit of service and who work imaginatively and hard for good outcomes for their clients.
“We honour one such lawyer who, through her service, her commitment to her clients and to her community and through her sheer ability, exemplifies the best in our profession. It’s the highest honour the profession can confer upon lawyers.
“The justice system demands and receives much from its King’s Counsel. They are the setters of standards as to what is required. They have to be prepared to argue the unpopular argument. For the same reason, they have to be prepared to advocate for their unpopular client.
“And should the independence of the profession ever be imperilled, they must be its staunchest defenders,” she said.
The Chief Justice said most of the work Cull had done was at Legal Aid rates and she has dealt with complex and difficult circumstances.
Speaking on behalf of the community, Ngahau Davis said the accolades that came Cull’s way were “right on the money” as she always strived to do the best and what was right for people.
Her work epitomised the care with which lawyers should work with people in their care, he said.
Dorothy Tana Owen spoke on behalf of the Bar and said Cull’s achievement was not only for Northland, but for the Bar and women as well.
Owen acknowledged Cull’s dad Mervyn Cull, who died almost six years ago. He was a distinguished journalist whose career included more than 30 years as a leading writer for the New Zealand Herald and stints as a foreign correspondent.
High Court judge Justice Simon Moore and Northland-based District Court judges Greg Davis, Philip Rzepecky, John McDonald, Keith de Ridder, and Coroner Tania Tetitaha were among those present.
