Judge Hermann Retzlaff was welcomed to the Dunedin District Court yesterday afternoon with a mihi whakatau full of song.
He introduced himself to the full court room with a simple "g’day".
"Thank you for this special welcome, this is now family and this is extremely important to us," he said.
"I am committed, I want to work hard, I want to help with all the mahi that needs to be done."
A member of Judge Retzlaff’s family thanked everyone present.
"Thank you for taking our brother and his immediate family into your family," he said.
"He might not be a Highlanders supporter yet ..."
The greeting was filled with singing, a few laughs and plenty of proud smiles.
In 2016, Judge Retzlaff was appointed attorney-general of Samoa — a role he held for four years.
He was admitted to the bar in 2003 and began his career as a Crown prosecutor in Auckland before joining the Public Defence Service.
He was officially sworn in on May 19 and tomorrow will be his first day of work in Dunedin.
Judge Retzlaff is replacing Judge Michael Turner, who recently retired after spending nearly 14 years on the bench.
felicity.dear@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
