Former Attorney-General of Samoa Lemalu Herman Retzlaff was appointed a District Court Judge in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s Attorney-General Judith Collins KC announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges.

The appointees will take up their roles in May, filling vacancies at the Wellington, Manukau and Dunedin courts.

Lemalu is currently serving as the National Public Defender of New Zealand.

He was admitted to the bar in 2003 and, after serving his scholarship bond in Samoa with the National University of Samoa, started his legal career in New Zealand in 2005 as a Crown Prosecutor with Meredith Connell. He joined the Public Defence Service in 2009 as a Senior Solicitor, working in all the Auckland courts, and latterly as the Public Defender of North Shore.

In 2016, he was appointed the Attorney-General of Samoa, serving four years in that role before moving to Kayes Fletcher Walker as a Senior Crown Prosecutor in 2020. In 2021 he was appointed as Public Defender of Waitakere, rejoining the Public Defence Service until being appointed to his current position in February 2024.

He served as President of the Pacific Lawyer’s Association from 2012 to 2014 and carries the chiefly matai titles from his family in Samoa of Lemalu from Safato’a Lefaga, and a bestowed chiefly title of Mua’utasi from Puipa’a Faleata.

He will be based at the Dunedin District Court and is due to be sworn in on 19 May.