She became an associate judge of the High Court in 2020
Chris Bishop, New Zealand’s attorney-general, has announced the appointment of Rachel Julienne Sussock as a judge of the High Court to sit in Auckland, effective on 1 June 2026.
According to a news release from the government, Judith Collins, then acting as attorney-general, recommended Sussock’s appointment to Cindy Kiro, New Zealand’s governor-general.
In 2020, Sussock was appointed as an associate judge of the High Court of New Zealand.
Helen Winkelmann, New Zealand’s chief justice, welcomed Bishop’s announcement regarding Sussock’s judicial appointment. The chief justice’s media statement noted that the Auckland High Court would swear Sussock into her new role on Monday, 8 June 2026.
On 13 March 2026, Collins announced that the High Court would be adding Natalie Walker as a High Court judge to sit in Auckland as of 28 May 2026, to be sworn in on 4 June 2026 at the Auckland High Court.
Collins also named Christopher (Bill) Gambrill as an associate judge of the High Court sitting in Christchurch as of 30 March 2026, sworn in on 17 April 2026 at the Christchurch High Court.
On 26 February 2026, Chief Justice Winkelmann announced an acting warrant for the appointment of Clive Taylor as an acting associate judge of the High Court from 10 March 2026 to 31 December 2026.
The government’s news release and the chief justice’s media statement dated 24 April 2026 provided more information on Justice Sussock’s professional experience and educational background.
From Victoria University of Wellington, Sussock obtained her LLB (honours) and her bachelor’s degree in commerce and administration in 1991. She commenced her legal career as a solicitor at Phillips Fox Wellington (now DLA Piper).
In 1993, she joined the Crown Law Office. There, she served as an assistant Crown counsel and then as Crown counsel with the public commercial team until 2001. Upon moving to Auckland, she spent time with her children at home.
In 2008, Sussock returned to her legal career. Specifically, she started serving as a senior associate at Wilson Harle, a commercial litigation firm.
In 2018, she began working as a partner in the litigation team of Lowndes Jordan. Her general commercial litigation practice focused on insolvency, construction, trusts, and complex financial and regulatory disputes.
