District Court Judge Appointed

Attorney-General Hon Chris Bishop has announced the appointment of Vanessa Curac as a District Court Judge.

Ms Curac has been practising law for 25 years, having started out as a solicitor for Oranga Tamariki, before becoming a Barrister in 2004, working in the Youth, Family and Criminal Courts.

Her practice has focussed on representing young people in the Youth Court, children in the Family Court and young adults in the District Courts in South Auckland. She was a panel lawyer for survivors in the Abuse in State Care Inquiry from 2020-2024 and was the secretary of the South Auckland Bar Association for 4 years. Ms Curac is based in Friendship Chambers in Manukau.

Judge Curac will be based at the Whangarei District Court and is due to be sworn in on 30 November 2026, in Manukau.