The Attorney-General has dismissed a suggestion that judges from other jurisdictions sit on the bench of the Supreme Court.
The idea was raised by the President of the Bar Association, Colin Carruthers QC, at the ceremonial first sitting at the new court on Friday.
Mr Carruthers says with the expanding internationality of the rule of law, it would be desirable to draw from other jurisdictions.
Attorney-General Chris Finlayson says there are enough judges in New Zealand for the court to operate effectively. He says the ceremonial first sitting was the wrong occasion for Mr Carruthers to have raised his idea.
The President of the Law Society, John Marshall QC, says the society has confidence in the five permanent Supreme Court judges, who he says will take into account the law in other countries when that's appropriate.
