Mark Cooper (judge)
{{Short description|New Zealand lawyer and jurist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name = Sir Mark Cooper
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|KC|size=100%}}
| image = Mark Cooper 2012 (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Cooper in 2012
| order = President of the Court of Appeal
| term_start = 26 April 2022
| term_end = 20 November 2024
| predecessor = Stephen Kós
| successor = Christine French
| birth_name = Mark Leslie Smith Cooper
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| alma_mater = University of Auckland
}}
Sir Mark Leslie Smith Cooper {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|KC}} is a New Zealand jurist. He was appointed a High Court judge in 2004, and a judge of the Court of Appeal in 2014. He served as president of the Court of Appeal from 2022 to 2024.
Biography
Cooper is of Ngāti Māhanga descent, an iwi of Waikato Tainui.{{cite news |url=https://waateanews.com/2022/04/11/court-of-appeal-head-from-ngati-mahanga/ |title=Court of Appeal head from Ngāti Māhanga |date=11 April 2022 |work=Waatea News |access-date=25 April 2022}}{{cite web|title=Judges|url=https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/the-courts/court-of-appeal/judges/#CooperJ|publisher=Courts of New Zealand|accessdate=22 April 2022}} He received his tertiary education at the University of Auckland, graduating with Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Magister Juris (Dist) degrees in 1979. After university, he worked for Butler White & Hanna, where he became a partner in 1983; the law firm merged with Simpson Grierson where he remained a partner. From 1997, he practised as a barrister sole.{{cite web |title=People in the Law |url=https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news/lawtalk/issue-845/people-in-the-law/ |publisher=New Zealand Law Society |access-date=24 April 2022 |date=4 July 2014}} He was principal legal advisor for three Auckland territorial authorities: Auckland City Council, North Shore City Council, and Rodney District Council.{{cite web |title=8 April 2022 Chief Justice welcomes new appointments to senior courts |url=https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/the-courts/supreme-court/8-april-2022-chief-justice-welcomes-new-appointments-to-senior-courts/ |publisher=Courts of New Zealand |access-date=24 April 2022}} In the 2000 appointment round, he was appointed Queen's Counsel alongside six others.{{cite web |title=List of Queen’s Counsel Appointments by Year (as at 19 December 2018) |url=https://www.crownlaw.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/List-of-QC-appointments-by-year-as-at-19-Dec-2018.pdf |publisher=Crown Law |access-date=24 April 2022}}
In 2004, Cooper was appointed a high court judge by the attorney general, Margaret Wilson, and sat in Auckland from August that year.{{cite press release |last=Wilson |first=Margaret |date=25 March 2004 |title=High Court Judge appointed |url= https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/high-court-judge-appointed-2 |location=Wellington |publisher=New Zealand Government |access-date=24 April 2022}} Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Cooper was appointed by the government to chair the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission; the other commissioners were engineers Ron Carter and Richard Fenwick.{{cite web |title=About the Commissioners |url= https://canterbury.royalcommission.govt.nz/About-the-Commissioners |publisher=Department of Internal Affairs |access-date=24 April 2022}}{{cite news|title=PM announces Royal Commission on earthquake |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/pm-announces-royal-commission-earthquake |access-date=8 April 2022 |date=15 March 2011 |publisher=New Zealand Government}} He was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal in 2014, and was named to replace Stephen Kós as president of the Court of Appeal from 26 April 2022.{{cite news |title=Supreme Court judge among three senior appointments |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/supreme-court-judge-among-three-senior-appointments |access-date=8 April 2022 |date=8 April 2022|publisher=New Zealand Government}}
Cooper was on the executive of the Auckland Division of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. He was on the establishment board for Metrowater, which was formed in 1997 and has since been integrated into Watercare Services. Cooper was board member for the Museum of Transport and Technology and the Auckland Observatory and Planetarium Trust.
On 23 October 2024, Cooper was granted retention of the title "The Honourable" for life, in recognition of his service as a judge and president of the Court of Appeal and a judge of the High Court.{{cite news |url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2024-vr5567 |title=Retention of the Title "The Honourable" |date=30 October 2024 |work=New Zealand Gazette |access-date=7 November 2024}} He was succeeded as president of the Court of Appeal by Christine French on 21 November 2024.{{cite news |url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2024-go5572 |title=Appointment of President of the Court of Appeal |date=31 October 2024 |work=New Zealand Gazette |access-date=7 November 2024}}
In the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours, Cooper was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the judiciary.{{cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/562810/king-s-birthday-honours-dai-henwood-tim-southee-and-jude-dobson-among-those-recognised |title=King's Birthday Honours: Dai Henwood, Tim Southee and Jude Dobson among those recognised |date=2 June 2025 |work=RNZ News |access-date=2 June 2025}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Christchurch earthquakes}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Mark}}
Category:20th-century New Zealand lawyers
Category:University of Auckland alumni
Category:Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges
Category:High Court of New Zealand judges
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:New Zealand King's Counsel
Category:New Zealand Māori judges
Category:21st-century New Zealand judges
Category:21st-century New Zealand lawyers
Category:Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit