Their assignments are in Palmerston North and Nelson, respectively
Judith Collins, attorney-general, has announced the appointment of two judges of New Zealand’s District Court: Prudence McGuire in Palmerston North, to be sworn in on 21 April 2026, and Christopher Macklin in Nelson, to be sworn in on 15 May 2026.
McGuire and Macklin are barristers who have practised in Rotorua and Nelson, respectively.
The government’s news release provided more information regarding these new judicial appointees.
McGuire became a barrister sole in 2008. Since then, she has acted for clients in family and criminal court matters. She has also been a member of the Family Law Section Advisory Panel, a mental health advocate, and a lawyer for child.
After moving to Rotorua, she joined Davys Burton in 2001. She became a partner at the firm in 2005. Around that time, she acted as a Crown and senior Crown prosecutor.
McGuire served as a staff solicitor, then as an associate at Wollerman Cooke McClure in Carterton. Before that, she worked at LW Goodman in Palmerston North.
She obtained admission to the bar in 1992.
Macklin has garnered criminal and regulatory litigation experience. He commenced his practice as a barrister in 2023. Since then, although based in Nelson, he has taken on work mostly taking place elsewhere.
Until recently, he acted as the convenor of the New Zealand Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee.
Macklin worked at Gordon and Pilditch, the Office of the Crown Solicitor in Rotorua. At that firm, he was an associate between 2010 and 2013, then became a partner. He later served as a designated principal Crown prosecutor at the firm.
Before that, he worked briefly at Russell McVeagh.
Macklin gained admission to the bar in 2006.
On 6 March 2026, Attorney-General Collins announced the appointments of the following three judges of the District Court of New Zealand:
On 28 October 2025, Collins named Bernadette Arapere as a District Court judge of the Hastings District Court, sworn in on 29 November 2025.
