Biography.guide
Home › People › Judge › Thomas Gault
Portrait of Thomas Gault

Thomas Gault

1938 – 2015

New Zealand judge

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Thomas Gault

Lived 1938 – 2015 (aged 76). Thomas Gault was a New Zealand judge and lawyer.

Sir Thomas Munro Gault (, 31 October 1938 – 19 May 2015 ) was a New Zealand jurist. He was a Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand and a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom as well as a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong. He was also a justice of the Supreme Court of Fiji.

Gault attended Wellington College and graduated with a Master of Laws degree from Victoria University of Wellington. After graduation, he was a member of the law firm A J Park & Son for 20 years. In 1981, he began practising as a barrister sole, and in 1984 he was appointed a Queen's Counsel.

His first appointment to the bench was as a Judge of the High Court in 1987, followed three years later by being made a member of the Court of Appeal. He was appointed President of the Court of Appeal in May 2002.

In the 2001 New Year Honours, Gault was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the judiciary. In the 2009 Special Honours, he accepted re-designation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government.

A keen golfer, Gault won the New Zealand Universities' Championship, and was awarded Blues by both Victoria University and the University of New Zealand. Moving into the administration of the game, he was President of the New Zealand Golf Association from 1987 to 1996 and as an Advisory Member of the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status Committees from 1978 to 1996. He was referee for The Open Championship from 1993 to 1998. He joined The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1994, and was made its first New Zealand captain in September 2005.

Gault died at home in Auckland in 2015.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Victoria University of Wellington
Positions held
Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Awards
Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit; Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit‎
Also known as
Sir Thomas Munro Gault, Sir Thomas Gault, Thomas Munro Gault

People in Thomas Gault's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Thomas Gault's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Thomas Gault?

New Zealand judge (1938-2015)

When was Thomas Gault born?

Thomas Gault was born on 31 October 1938 in Wellington.

When did Thomas Gault die?

Thomas Gault died on 19 May 2015 in Auckland.

What was Thomas Gault's occupation?

Thomas Gault was a judge and lawyer.

What nationality was Thomas Gault?

Thomas Gault was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Thomas Gault

· Wikidata: Q7789960

· DBpedia: Thomas Gault

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Thomas Gault. https://biography.guide/thomas-gault/

MLA: "Thomas Gault." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/thomas-gault/.

Chicago: "Thomas Gault." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/thomas-gault/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:30 UTC