{{Short description|New Zealand judge (1944–2021)}} {{for|the Australian footballer|Noel Anderson (footballer)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Sir Noel Anderson | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|QC|size=100%}} | order = President of the Court of Appeal | term_start = 2004 | term_end = 2006 | predecessor = Sir Thomas Gault | successor = Sir William Young | birth_date = {{Birth date|1944|1|3|df=y}} | birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand | death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|10|6|1944|1|3|df=y}} | death_place = | spouse = }}
'''Sir Noel Crossley Anderson''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|size=100%|KNZM|QC}} (3 January 1944 – 6 October 2021) was a New Zealand judge who was President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand from 2004 to 2006, before being elevated to the Supreme Court. He left office in 2008.
==Career== Anderson was born in January 1944 in Auckland.<ref name="who is who">{{cite book |title=Who's Who in New Zealand, 1991 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6x8OAQAAMAAJ |accessdate=29 July 2015 |last1=Lambert |first1=Max |year=1991 |edition=12th |publisher=Octopus |location=Auckland| page=10| isbn=978-0-7900-0130-2 }}</ref> He graduated with an LL.B. from the University of Auckland in 1967 and was a partner in the Auckland firm Martelli, McKegg & Adams-Smith until commencing practice solely as a barrister in 1972. He had his first case the same day he was admitted to the bar in 1967 against John Henry, future Court of Appeal judge and Privy Councillor.<ref name="nzherald.co.nz">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/honoured-new-zealanders/news/article.cfm?c_id=513&objectid=3570952 |title=Queen's Birthday Honours: Justice Noel Anderson |last=Perrott |first=Alan |date=7 June 2004 |work=The New Zealand Herald |accessdate=1 November 2011}}</ref>
He was appointed a Queen's Counsel in May 1986,<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen's Counsel appointments since 1907 as at July 2013 |url=http://www.crownlaw.govt.nz/uploads/qc_since_1907.pdf |publisher=Crown Law Office |accessdate=4 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329220631/http://www.crownlaw.govt.nz/uploads/qc_since_1907.pdf |archivedate=29 March 2014 }}</ref> to the High Court in May 1987 and presided for four years in Hamilton before becoming a resident judge in Auckland for 10 years. Justice Anderson presided over hundreds of cases, including the third Plumley-Walker murder trial, the trial of Malcolm Rewa for murder, as well sitting on the inquiries into abortion, contraception and sterilisation, and the Mt Erebus disaster.<ref name="nzherald.co.nz"/>
Justice Anderson became senior judge in Auckland in 1997 before being appointed executive judge in August 2000. In a survey done on the assignment of cases to judges between January 1999 and July 2001 in the High Court, Justice Anderson was one of the judges who heard the predominant number of Bill of Rights cases. Justice Anderson was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2001 and the Supreme Court in February 2006. He also acted as the Administrator of the New Zealand Government during Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright's absence from the country in May 2005.
Although Anderson retired as a Supreme Court Justice in 2008, he continued to sit when needed.<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_3784546">{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3784546/Judge-under-cloud-replaced-on-four-appeal-cases |title=Judge under cloud replaced on four appeal cases |date=8 June 2010 |work=The Dominion Post |accessdate=1 November 2011}}</ref> He also served on the Investment Committee for the Tūhoe Establishment Trust, which manages Treaty of Waitangi settlements for the Ngāi Tūhoe iwi.<ref>[http://www.ngaituhoe.iwi.nz/About/T%C5%ABhoeInvestmentCommittee.aspx Tūhoe Establishment Trust website]</ref>
Anderson died on 6 October 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300430775/former-supreme-court-judge-sir-noel-anderson-has-died |title=Former Supreme Court judge Sir Noel Anderson has died |date=14 October 2021 |work=Stuff.co.nz |access-date=15 October 2021}}</ref>
===Position on barristerial immunity=== In ''Lai v Chamberlains'',<ref>{{cite NZLII | litigants = Lai v Chamberlains | court = NZCA | year = 2005 | date = 8 March 2005 | num = 37 }}</ref> Justice Anderson delivered a lone dissenting judgement for retention of barristerial immunity on a five-judge Appeal Court panel. Anderson claimed keeping lawyers immune from accountability to their clients was necessary for the proper administration of justice, as lawyers owe their primary obligation to the Court and it was argued this may at times conflict with the lawyers obligation to their clients. Justices Hammond, Glazebrook, O'Regan and McGrath disagreed.
==Honours== Anderson was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |authorlink1=Alister Taylor |authorlink2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2 |page=47}}</ref> In the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the judiciary.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2004 | title=Queen's Birthday honours list 2004 |date=7 June 2004 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | accessdate=24 March 2019}}</ref> In 2009, following the reinstatement of titular honours by the New Zealand government, Anderson accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/special-honours-list-1-august-2009 | title=Special honours list 1 August 2009 |date=5 April 2011 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | accessdate=24 March 2019}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110611064307/http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/arise-sir-or-dame-70-honours-list-106848 ''National Business Review'', Arise Sir... or Dame... for 70 on honours list], by Nevil Gibson, 1 August 2009 (accessed 8:17PM 1 November 2009) *[http://www.kiwisfirst.co.nz/index.asp?PageID=2145845335 kiwisfirst.co.nz] Profile *{{wikidata-inline}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Noel}} Category:1944 births Category:2021 deaths Category:Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges Category:Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Category:High Court of New Zealand judges Category:University of Auckland alumni Category:20th-century New Zealand judges Category:Supreme Court of New Zealand judges Category:New Zealand King's Counsel Category:Lawyers from Auckland Category:21st-century New Zealand judges