Ronald Davison

{{Short description|New Zealand lawyer (1920–2015)}} {{distinguish|Ronald Davidson}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable | name = Sir Ronald Davison | honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|GBE|CMG|QC}} | image = | order = 10th | office = Chief Justice of New Zealand | term_start = 3 February 1978 | term_end = 4 February 1989 | predecessor = Richard Wild | successor = Thomas Eichelbaum | appointer = Sir Keith Holyoake | nominator = Robert Muldoon | birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|11|16|df=y}} | birth_place = Kaponga, Taranaki | death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|7|2|1920|11|16|df=y}} | death_place = Auckland, New Zealand | spouse = {{marriage|Jacqueline May Carr|1948}} }} '''Sir Ronald Keith Davison''' {{postnominals|country=NZL|GBE|CMG|QC}} (16 November 1920 – 2 July 2015) was a New Zealand lawyer and jurist. He served as the tenth Chief Justice of New Zealand from 1978 to 1989,<ref name="Former Chief Justices ">{{cite web |title=Former Chief Justices |url=http://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/about/judges/former-chiefs/ |publisher=Courts of New Zealand |accessdate=11 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126084422/http://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/about/judges/former-chiefs |archivedate=26 January 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Early life and family== Born in Kaponga on 16 November 1920, Davison was the son of Joseph James Davison and Florence Minnie Davison (née McCleland).<ref name="HBTQ"/> He was educated at Te Kuiti District High School.<ref name="HBTQ"/> During World War II, he served with the New Zealand Army (1941–1942) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (1942–1945), before completing a Bachelor of Laws degree at Auckland University College in 1947.<ref name="HBTQ"/>

In 1948, Davison married Jacqueline May Carr, and the couple had three children,<ref name="HBTQ"/> including Paul Davison {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KC|size=85%}}, a barrister who prosecuted, among other cases, the trial of Scott Watson for the disappearance of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope in the Marlborough Sounds on 1 January 1998, and later became a High Court Judge (now retired).

== Career == Davison presided over the case of the sinking of the ''Rainbow Warrior''. His sentence of 10 years jail for the French secret service agents was highly applauded, and he made a memorable statement:<ref name="Herald 150th">{{cite news |last1=Hastings |first1=David |title=1985, Ronald Davison: Judge condemns state terrorism |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/new-zealand-herald-150-years/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503278&objectid=11142357 |accessdate=8 July 2015 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=November 2013}}</ref>

<blockquote>People who come to this country and commit terrorist activities cannot expect to have a short holiday at the expense of our Government and return home as heroes.</blockquote>

When ''The New Zealand Herald'' celebrated its 150th birthday in November 2013, they named a "New Zealander of the Year" for each year of their history. Davison was their New Zealander of the Year for 1985 for his conduct during the trial of the French secret service agents.<ref name="Herald 150th" />

Davison headed the government inquiry (1994–1997) into certain matters related to overseas company taxation, popularly known as the Winebox Inquiry. This involved allegations against a number of parties including the merchant bank Fay Richwhite. He also presided over the 1994 inquiry into the Family court proceedings involving the Bristol family, which resulted in a number of changes being made to New Zealand's child protection legislation.

Davison was appointed Queen's Counsel on 16 June 1963.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rt Hon Sir Ronald Keith Davison GBE CMG QC, 1920–2015 |url= https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news/people-in-the-law/obituaries/obituaries-list/rt-hon-sir-ronald-keith-davison-gbe-cmg-qc-1920-2015/ |publisher=New Zealand Law Society |access-date=7 May 2021}}</ref> In the 1975 Queen's Birthday Honours, Davison was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public services.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=14 June 1975 |supp=3 |issue=46595 |page=7405}}</ref> He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire on 11 February 1978, just after his appointment as Chief Justice.<ref>{{London Gazette |date=23 February 1978 |supp=y |issue=47471 |page=2451 |nolink=yes}}</ref> Also in 1978, he was appointed to the Privy Council.<ref name="HBTQ">{{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=117}}</ref> He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, and the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal in 1990.<ref name="HBTQ"/>

==Death== Davison died on 2 July 2015.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 July 2015 |title=Winebox Inquiry chair Sir Ronald Davison dies |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/278030/winebox-inquiry-chair-sir-ronald-davison-dies |work=Radio New Zealand}}</ref> Jacqueline, Lady Davison, died in Auckland on 16 November 2016.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://notices.nzherald.co.nz/obituaries/nzherald-nz/obituary.aspx?n=jacqueline-may-davison&pid=182592252 | title=Jacqueline Davison death notice | date=19 November 2016 | work= The New Zealand Herald | accessdate=19 November 2016}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=Richard Wild}} {{s-ttl|title=Chief Justice of New Zealand|years=1978–1989}} {{s-aft|after=Thomas Eichelbaum}} {{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Ronald}} Category:1920 births Category:2015 deaths Category:People from Kaponga Category:New Zealand military personnel of World War II Category:University of Auckland alumni Category:20th-century New Zealand judges Category:Chief justices of New Zealand Category:High Court of New Zealand judges Category:Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Category:New Zealand King's Counsel Category:New Zealand Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Category:New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom