He is a barrister and solicitor who worked at Meredith Connell, Bell Gully
Judith Collins, attorney-general, has announced the appointment of Brett Donald Tantrum, Auckland barrister and solicitor, as a judge of the High Court of New Zealand, sitting in Auckland as of 30 March 2026.
Helen Winkelmann, chief justice of New Zealand, welcomed the attorney-general’s announcement regarding Tantrum’s judicial appointment.
A media statement from the courts of New Zealand noted that Tantrum will be sworn in on Friday, 10 April 2026, at the Auckland High Court.
In his practice, he has handled criminal appeals to the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. He has prosecuted cases relating to homicides, serious sexual violence, and organised crime, particularly money laundering and commercial drug offences.
Tantrum has also practised public and administrative law. He has dealt with judicial review proceedings and regulatory matters.
The government’s news release and the courts’ media statement provided more information regarding Tantrum’s professional experience and educational background.
At Meredith Connell, Office of the Crown Solicitor in Auckland, he became a principal Crown prosecutor in 2017 and a partner in 2011.
For a period from 2009–10, Tantrum was a Crown Law secondee. He appeared for the Crown in various criminal appeals.
He earned admission to the New South Wales bar. He prosecuted cases in connection with sexual violations, fraud, serious violence, and drug-related offences. He is a member of the prosecutors’ panel of the Serious Fraud Office.
In 2006, Tantrum took part in a professional exchange programme with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
He joined Meredith Connell as a solicitor in August 2002, as well as Bell Gully as a solicitor in the firm’s commercial litigation team.
Tantrum received his LLB (honours) from the University of Auckland in 2000.
Apart from Tantrum’s addition to the bench, Collins previously announced the appointments of the following High Court judges:
At the time of her appointment, Heine practised as a barrister sole out of Thorndon Chambers in Wellington, beginning in 2018. Meanwhile, at the time of their appointments, Arthur practised as an Auckland barrister and solicitor, while Kawharu served as an Auckland-based barrister.
