Judge David Wilson, 1988

Have judges come down from their ivory towers, and do they have a good grasp of life as it is really lived in New Zealand?

Why did you want to become a stipendiary magistrate?

What aspirations did you have when you first became a stipendiary magistrate?

What worries you about society's behaviour?

Why is society behaving like that?

What was your saddest moment as a judge?

What was your happiest moment as a judge?

Have you ever had any doubts about the fairness of your sentences?

Have many of your sentences been altered on appeal?

What sort of success rate do you think you have had?

Have you ever been threatened by anyone you have sentenced?

Have you been an effective deterrent?

Has a convicted person ever thanked you for setting them on the right path?

From your experience, what sort of police and Ministry of Transport officers do we have?

What sort of advocates are New Zealand lawyers for their clients?

Is the legal aid system working to the benefit of its users?

On reflection, what worries you most about the New Zealand system of justice?

If you were Minister of Justice, what major changes would you propose to Cabinet?

Do judges have sufficient time to give each case the careful consideration it deserves, or are they overworked and is justice rushed as a result?

You have seen a lot of New Zealanders in the dock. What are those appearing before you really like?

Would you do it all over again?