Robert Smellie (judge)
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30 August 1930
Robert Smellie | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the High Court | |
| In office 1985–1998 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Philip Smellie 30 August 1930 Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Died | 23 December 2025 (aged 95) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Spouse |
Lyndsay Ann Craig
(m. 1959; died 2008) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland |
| Occupation |
|
Robert Philip Smellie CNZM KC (20 August 1930 – 23 December 2025) was a New Zealand lawyer and judge. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1979, and served as a High Court judge from 1985 until 1998.
Smellie was born in Dunedin on 20 August 1930, the son of Winifred Lilian and Peter Orr Smellie.[1][2] He was educated at Otago Boys’ High School, and went on to study at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1958.[1][3]
In 1959, Smellie married Lyndsay Ann Craig, and the couple had three children.[1]
Legal career
Smellie began his legal career with Grierson, Jackson and Partners (later Simpson Grierson).[4] He was appointed Queen's Counsel on 20 August 1979.[5] Between 1982 and 1985, he served as chair of the Equal Opportunities Tribunal.[1] He was appointed to the High Court bench on 18 December 1985.[4][6]
After retiring from full-time judicial work in 1998, Smellie continued to serve as an acting High Court judge until 2002.[7] He then served as a judge of the Fiji Court of Appeal until 2007.[4]