The event will give practitioners a chance to reflect the judge’s significant contribution to employment law and practice
A memorial sitting at the Employment Court on 7 November will honour former Chief Judge Tom Goddard CNZM and celebrate his contributions to employment law.
“This special sitting will provide an opportunity for practitioners to remember former Chief Judge Tom Goddard and to reflect on his significant contribution to employment law and practice,” Employment Court Chief Judge Christina Inglis said.
Goddard died on 14 March at the age of 81 after a lengthy illness.
Goddard first joined the then Labour Court in 1989 before being appointed as chief judge of the Employment Court in 1991. He headed the court until 2005.
“As chief judge, Tom oversaw the transition not just of two different iterations of the specialist Employment Court, but also of significantly different pieces of legislation,” Inglis said when the death of the senior jurist was confirmed. “In this role he presided over the court through an era of compulsory unionism and its subsequent demise, followed by a period characterised by many as reflecting a purely contractual approach to employment relationships, through to the more recent focus on mutual obligations of good faith between employer and employee. Throughout, Tom was a strong voice for fair dealing according to the rule of law.”
The memorial sitting will be held at 4pm on 7 November in Courtroom 5.01 of the Employment Court on Level 5 of the District Court Building on 49 Ballance Street in Wellington. The sitting will be followed by refreshments.
