Richard Wild (judge)

The Right Honourable Sir Richard Wild GBE KCMG QC
9th Chief Justice of New Zealand
In office 18 January 1966 – 20 January 1978
Nominated by	Keith Holyoake
Appointed by	Sir Bernard Fergusson
Preceded by	Harold Barrowclough
Succeeded by	Ronald Davison
Personal details
Born	Herbert Richard Churton Wild (1912-09-20)20 September 1912 Blenheim, New Zealand
Died	22 May 1978(1978-05-22) (aged 65) Wellington, New Zealand
Relatives	Leonard Wild (father) John Wild (son) John White (brother-in-law) Douglas White (nephew)

Sir Herbert Richard Churton Wild GBE KCMG QC (20 September 1912 – 22 May 1978) was the ninth Chief Justice of New Zealand.

Family

Wild was born in Blenheim in 1912.[1] His father, Leonard Wild, was at that time science teacher at Marlborough High School.[2] He attended Feilding Agricultural High School. His sister Dora later married the jurist John White.[3] His son, John Wild, was a judge at the High Court and then the Court of Appeal.[4]

Chief justice

He famously decided the case of Fitzgerald v Muldoon in 1976.^[citation needed]

Wild was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1977. He resigned as Chief Justice in early 1978 and died shortly after.[1]

References

1. Spiller, Peter. "Wild, Herbert Richard Churton". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
2. Renwick, William. "Wild, Leonard John". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
3. "Hon Sir John Charles White MBE, 1911–2007". New Zealand Law Society. December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
4. "From judge's bench to woodworking bench – dovetailing into retirement". Stuff. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

Legal offices
Preceded by Harold Barrowclough	Chief Justice of New Zealand 1966–1978	Succeeded by Ronald Davison