A senior New Zealand barrister of Fiji Indian descent has been appointed an Associate Judge of the High Court of New Zealand, marking a significant milestone for the Indo-Fijian community.

Nischal Hasmukhlal Malarao, known professionally as Nick Malarao, will officially take up the role on 8 June and will sit in Auckland.

The appointment was announced by New Zealand Attorney-General Chris Bishop and welcomed by Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann.

Associate Judge Malarao graduated from the University of Auckland in 1999 with degrees in law and commerce before beginning his legal career at Chapman Tripp.

He later joined the Auckland Crown Solicitor firm Meredith Connell, where he built extensive experience in civil, commercial and criminal litigation. Between 2002 and 2003, he worked in London in the litigation department of Lloyd’s of London before returning to New Zealand.

Over more than two decades in the legal profession, he rose to become a Senior Litigation Partner at Meredith Connell, leading the firm’s regulatory and insolvency practice group while also serving on its management board.

In 2024, he moved to the independent bar at Richmond Chambers, specialising in civil, commercial, tax and regulatory disputes, with recognised expertise in company and insolvency law.

Beyond the courtroom, Associate Judge Malarao has maintained strong ties with Fiji and has held leadership roles within the Kshatriya Society of New Zealand, a Gujarati community organisation. He is also fluent in Hindi and Gujarati.

He is expected to be sworn in at the Auckland High Court on 10 June.

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