Roger Partridge: Attorney-General and Chief Justice reveal contrasting visions of judicial power

Should judges stick to applying the law, or should they reshape it to reflect society’s values? This fundamental tension over judicial power was laid bare at a New Zealand Law Society webinar this month about what it takes to become a High Court judge.

Comments from the country’s two senior legal officers, Attorney-General Judith Collins KC and Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann, revealed fundamentally opposing views on the role of judges. Their competing conceptions go to the heart of our democracy.