Dr Mark Hickford
Tumu Whakarae | President
Executive Assistant: Judy McLuskie
Phone: 04 914 4809
Email: com@lawcom.govt.nz
Mark Hickford has been appointed as President of the Law Commission for a term of six months from 3 November 2025.
Mark has extensive experience across the public, academic and private legal sectors and has specialised in iwi–Māori state relations, land and water rights, natural resources and justice.
He has been General Manager & Special Counsel – Māori Crown Relations at Te Puni Kōkiri, Director of Legal Services & Chief Legal Advisor at the Ministry for Primary Industries, Advisor to the Prime Minister (Legal & Justice) in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Crown Counsel at Crown Law. He was a barrister sole based at Thorndon Chambers from 2020 and full-time from July 2023. He started legal practice at Chapman Tripp in Auckland in 1993 before heading offshore to the United Kingdom and has also worked at Chen Palmer and Partners in Wellington.
Mark was Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law from May 2015 until October 2021 and then Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Government, Law and Business until July 2023 at Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington. During that time he was a Professor of Law. He has also served on the boards of Te Kura Kaiwhakawā | Institute of Judicial Studies, the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, the New Zealand Council of Legal Education, and the Borrin Foundation’s Grants and Scholarships Committee.
He earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford (examining indigenous property rights and questions of empire) and his LLB (Hons) and BA in Political Studies and History from Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland.
Geof Shirtcliffe
Kaikōmihana | Commissioner
Executive Assistant: Judy McLuskie
Phone: 04 914 4809
Email: com@lawcom.govt.nz
Geof Shirtcliffe was for 22 years a partner in the Wellington office of Chapman Tripp, where he specialised in corporate transactions, securities offerings and corporate governance. Geof also advised a number of governments and regulatory bodies on commercial law reform matters. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he worked in finance.
Geof is a past president of the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand, and for two years taught the Business Associations course at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He has a BA (Hons) and LLB (Hons) from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and an MA from University of London.
Geof is a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, and is the Deputy President of the Commission.
Professor Claudia Geiringer
Kaikōmihana | Commissioner
Executive Assistant: Judy McLuskie
Phone: 04 914 4809
Email: com@lawcom.govt.nz
Professor Claudia Geiringer holds the Chair in Public Law at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington (a role from which she is currently on leave). She has previously served in a number of roles including Crown Counsel at New Zealand's Crown Law Office, acting Special Counsel for Human Rights at the Victorian Government Solicitor's Office in Australia, Director of the New Zealand Centre for Public Law at Te Herenga Waka, and contract historian working on Wai 45 the Muriwhenua Land Claim.
During her career, Claudia has practised, taught and published on numerous aspects of public law including bills of rights/human rights, electoral law, parliamentary practice, reception of international law, citizenship and immigration, social security and comparative constitutional law. She has a BA (Hons) in history from Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo University of Otago, an LLB from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and an LLM from University of Columbia.
Claudia is a Fellow Ahurei of the Royal Society Te Apārangi and a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.
Ngā Kaikomihana o te wā o mua | Past Commissioners
Below is a list of Commissioners since the Law Commission's inception in 1987.
Commissioners are ordered alphabetically by surname, and their names, titles and post-nominals are as they are given in the Law Commission's annual reports.
Helen Aikman QC
Leslie H Atkins QC
Hon Justice David Baragwanath – President
Hon Justice Peter Blanchard
Judge Peter Boshier
Timothy Brewer ED
Associate Professor Donna Buckingham
Emeritus Professor John Burrows QC
Jim Cameron CMG
Belinda Clark QSO
Richard Clarke QC
Donald Dugdale
Hon Justice Eddie Durie
Sian Elias QC
Hon Sir Grant Hammond KNZM – President
Paul Heath QC
Denese Henare ONZM
Jack Hodder
Frances Joychild
Dr Amokura Kawharu – President
Judge Patrick Keane
Sir Kenneth Keith KBE QC – President
Judge Margaret Lee
Professor Ngatata Love QSO JP
Hon Dr Wayne Mapp QSO
Professor Geoff McLay
Helen McQueen
Joanne Morris OBE
Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer SC – President
Hon Justice J Bruce Robertson – President
Val Sim
Professor Richard J Sutton
George Tanner CNZM QC
Vivienne Ullrich QC
Hon Justice John Wallace
Hon Justice Christian Whata
Sir Douglas White QC – President
Margaret A Wilson
Rt Hon Sir Owen Woodhouse KBE DSC – President
Dr Warren Young