Dame Sian Elias retired as chief justice of New Zealand in March 2019 after serving for 20 years. Appointed in 1999, she presided over the Supreme Court for the first 16 years of its existence, citing that establishing the Supreme Court was the “most significant development” during her service. The Supreme Court was set up with the purpose of developing New Zealand law with an understanding of New Zealand’s history and traditions, specifically regarding the Treaty of Waitangi by which the legal order was established with the agreement of the indigenous Maori of New Zealand.

According to a February 2019 speech delivered by Hon. Justice Helen Winkelmann, Elias “worked to call the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act of 1990 to the common law’s aid in preserving fundamental values and rights,” notably in her judgments in Lange v. Atkinson (1997) and R v. Hansen (2007). She was also an advocate for criminal justice reform, shown by the court’s grants of leave in more than 100 criminal appeals. Throughout her career, Dame Elias received many accolades including the Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.

Dame Elias counts herself “privileged to have served” while a sense of New Zealand’s unique constitution developed. She also recognizes how fortunate she was to “appreciate the great tradition of American law and American society” while at Stanford.