Thomas Goddard (jurist)
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20 May 1937
Thomas Goddard | |
|---|---|
| 1st Chief Employment Court Judge | |
| In office September 1989 – 19 May 2005 | |
| Succeeded by | Graeme Colgan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tomasz Goldwag 20 May 1937 Warsaw, Poland |
| Died | (aged 81) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Citizenship | New Zealander |
| Alma mater | Victoria University College |
| Profession | Barrister and solicitor |
Thomas George Goddard CNZM (born Tomasz Goldwag, 20 May 1937 – 14 March 2019) was a New Zealand jurist. He served as chief judge of the Employment Court of New Zealand from 1989 to 2005.
Goddard was born Tomasz Goldwag in Warsaw, Poland, on 20 May 1937, the son of Naum Goldwag and Estera Goldwag (née Kryńska).[1][2] They survived The Holocaust and came to New Zealand in 1947, changing their surname to Goddard.[1][2] Thomas Goddard became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in 1952.[3] He was educated at Wellington College, and went on to study at Victoria University College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in French and Latin in 1958, a Master of Arts in French the following year, and a Bachelor of Laws in 1962.[1][4]
Career
Goddard was called to the bar as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1962, and specialised in employment law, equity law, administrative law, the law of torts, contract law, and jurisprudence.[1] He practised either in partnership or in sole practice until 1989, and in 1982 acted as counsel for the successful plaintiff in a cited case regarding exemplary damages in tort, Taylor v Beere.[1] In 1989, he was appointed chief judge of the Labour Court, and when that court became the Employment Court in 1991, he continued as chief judge, retiring from that role in 2005.[1][5]