Old Girl Kirsten Gray appointed King’s Counsel

Kirsten Gray (Y9 1986) has been appointed King’s Counsel, one of the highest honours in the New Zealand legal profession. Attorney-General Chris Bishop announced Kirsten as one of 12 barristers named in this year’s appointments. The selection panel chose the new silks from more than 100 applicants.

Kirsten specialises in criminal law. After graduating from the University of Otago, she was admitted to the bar in 1998 and began her career as a Crown prosecutor, first at Gresson Dorman and later at Meredith Connell. In 2010 she took her work overseas, joining the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as a trial advocate. On returning to New Zealand, she settled in Christchurch, where she worked for the Public Defence Service from 2013 to 2021. That year she went out on her own as a barrister sole, and in 2025 she joined Walker Street Chambers.

Her career has taken her from prosecution to defence and from local courtrooms to an international tribunal, and the appointment recognises nearly three decades of work at the sharp end of the criminal justice system. We are delighted to see one of our alumnae recognised in this way. Congratulations, Kirsten.