Lawyer steps up to become judge
A New Plymouth lawyer has been appointed as a District Court judge.
Barrister and solicitor Haamiora Raumati was this week sworn into the role during a special ceremony at the New Plymouth District Court.
Raumati, who has a Bachelor of Arts and a law degree, was previously a partner at RMY Legal, which was formerly known as Reeves Middleton Young.
He began at the firm in 1999, four years after he finished his legal training, and became partner in 2002.
Raumati’s appointment to the bench was announced last month by Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson. He will be issued with a Family Court warrant and be based in Gisborne.
During his time at RMY Legal, the 47-yearold practised primarily in family law and also acted as a lawyer for children and as a youth advocate.
He has also been a honorary solicitor for the Taranaki Rugby Football Union in the past.
While RMY Legal partner John Middleton said Raumati would be a loss to the New Plymouth legal community, he believed his skills and personality would make him an effective judge.
‘‘I think he’ll bring a lot of humanity to the job,’’ Middleton said.
He said Raumati had made a ‘‘great contribution’’ to RMY Legal, where he also acted as a mentor for its younger lawyers.
He said Raumati was well respected by others who worked in the legal profession.
‘‘They’ve always admired his demeanour and how he conducts himself in court.’’
Raumati will move to Gisborne to take up the role and is likely to be there indefinitely, Middleton said.
‘‘We’re very proud of him and we think it’s a great achievement,’’ he added.
Raumati’s appointment to the bench was welcomed by the Gis- borne branch of the New Zealand Law Society.
Branch president Alison Bendall said it would help ease the busy workload at the court. ‘‘It’s been a long time since we’ve had two resident judges, about 15 years. Gisborne might be a small city but we’ve got a busy little court and we’ve needed to have extra resources, in particular in the District Court jurisdiction.
‘‘Having a Family Court judge with district and civil court warrants will mean that will happen,’’ she said.
Raumati, who was sworn in on Monday, is due to begin his judicial duties next month where he will join Judge Warren Cathcart, who began working at the Gisborne District Court last August.