Peter Boshier

Patron

Judge Peter Boshier is patron of Dwell Housing Trust.

Judge Boshier is Chief Ombudsman for New Zealand. He commenced in this position on 10 December 2015.

He was born and educated in Gisborne and attended Victoria University of Wellington, obtaining a bachelor of laws with honours degree in 1975. After a period of practice in Wellington he was appointed as a district court judge with a specialist Family Court warrant in 1988.

Judge Boshier has a long association with Pacific judicial issues and was seconded to undertake judicial training there, based in Suva in 2002 and 2003. Judge Boshier has travelled regularly to Pacific island countries to undertake workshops on the subject of family violence and youth justice. He holds the Samoan Matai title of Misa which was bestowed in 2000.

In 2004 Judge Boshier was appointed as the principal family court judge of New Zealand and held that position until December 2012 when he was appointed a Law Commissioner, a position he held until being appointed as Chief Ombudsman. Judge Boshier has served on the government’s Family Violence Taskforce. He is also patron of the White Ribbon Trust.

In 2009 Judge Boshier was made a distinguished alumnis of the Victoria University of Wellington for his contribution to the law. In July 2015, Judge Boshier became the president of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts based in the United States. He is the first New Zealander to have held this position and did so until July 2016.