Augusta Wallace

Who was Augusta Wallace?

Dame Augusta Wallace DBE was the first woman in New Zealand to be appointed as a judge to the District Court in 1976; she served for eighteen years.

Georgina Catriona Pamela Augusta Dunlop was educated in Howick School, Epsom Girls' Grammar School, and Auckland University where she graduated and was admitted to the bar in 1954. She practiced on her own account as a sole practitioner in Papatoetoe for 11 years. In September 1975 she became the first woman to become a judge when she was appointed to the District Court bench. She sat at the Auckland District Court for nearly fifteen years, transferred to the Otahuhu District Court for a short time, and finally was based at the Papakura District Court.

Wallace had a long record of community service and extensive judicial experience. In 1990 Wallace was at the centre of a review into courtroom security after she was attacked by a 16 year-old with a machete while serving at the Otahuhu District Court and was seriously injured.