Kerryn Beaton KC Appointed District Court Judge in Dunedin, Sworn In July 2026

Attorney-General Hon Chris Bishop has announced the appointment of Kerryn Beaton KC as a District Court Judge.

Ms Beaton was admitted to the bar in 1995. She commenced her legal career at Eagles, Eagles & Redpath and then Preston Russell Law in Invercargill, before spending almost ten years as a Crown prosecutor at Raymond Donnelly in Christchurch including secondments to Crown Law as Crown Counsel. In 2012 she was appointed Public Defender when the Public Defence Service opened its office in Christchurch. Since 2016 she has practised as a barrister sole and in 2018 co-founded Walker Street Chambers.

Her practice has focused on serious crime and public inquiries. She has been appointed as counsel assisting the Pike River Royal Commission (2011-12), as legal officer and investigator in the United Nations Khmer Rouge trials in Cambodia (2014-16) and as senior counsel assisting New Zealand’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care (2019-24).

Ms Beaton was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2021.

Judge Beaton will be based at the Dunedin District Court and is due to be sworn in on 2 July 2026, in Christchurch.