Judge Craig Thompson

The Chief is supported by Judge Craig Thompson, the first freshwater commissioner to be appointed. 

Judge Thompson practised in Wellington and Blenheim from 1974 until being appointed Crown Counsel in the Crown Law Office in 1983. In 1985, he was made Deputy Solicitor-General for New Zealand.

He was a member of the legislation advisory committee from its inception in 1986 until he was appointed as a District Court judge in 1992. He was appointed as an alternate Environment Court judge in 2001, becoming a full-time Environment Court judge in August 2003.

Judge Thompson has been re-appointed as Freshwater Commissioner for term of four years, ending on 31 December 2026.