Tavake Barron Afeaki Explained

Tu’inukutavake Barron Afeaki is a Tongan New Zealander lawyer. He has served as Lord Chancellor of Tonga since 2020.

Afeaki was born in New Zealand. He is a past president of the Māori Law Society.[1] He represented Ramsay Dalgety in his perjury trial following the MV Princess Ashika disaster.[2]

In June 2017 he was appointed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of Tonga as a Law Lord.[3] [4] In February 2020 he was appointed Lord Chancellor, replacing Harry Waalkens.[5] In October 2021 he was appointed Chief Justice of Tonga for four months while Michael Hargreaves Whitten was on holiday, despite not being a qualified judge.[6] The appointment was controversial as Afeaki was the chair of the panel which recommended his own appointment, and the normal process would have seen the next most senior Supreme Court Judge - Laki Niu, a commoner - act in the role.[6] As a result, a group of Tongan lawyers wrote to the king requesting that the appointment be revoked.[7] The request was rejected.[8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Māori Law Society elects leaders . NZ Lawyer . Sol Dolor . 19 October 2018 . 14 August 2022.
  2. Web site: Lawyers warn media after Tongan discharged . Michael Field . 3 November 2010 . 14 August 2022.
  3. Web site: King appoints three new Law Lords . Matangi Tonga . 30 June 2017 . 14 August 2022.
  4. Web site: Three new Law Lords appointed by His Majesty . Kaniva Tonga . 30 June 2017 . 14 August 2022.
  5. Web site: King appoints Tavake Barron Afeaki as new Lord Chancellor . Kaniva Tonga . 4 February 2020 . 14 August 2022.
  6. Web site: Lawyers ask king to revoke appointment of Lord Afeaki as acting Lord Chief Justice . Kaniva Tonga . 26 October 2021 . 14 August 2022.
  7. Web site: Tongan lawyers furious over Afeaki appointment . RNZ . 27 October 2021 . 14 August 2022.
  8. Web site: Appeal over acting Chief Justice appointment in Tonga falls flat . RNZ . 23 November 2021 . 14 August 2022.
  9. Web site: King seems to ignore request to revoke appointment of Lord Afeaki as acting Lord Chief Justice . Kaniva Tonga . 21 November 2021 . 14 August 2022.

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