Former Court of Appeal judge and Privy Council member Sir Gordon Bisson has died in Upper Hutt. He was 91.
Sir Gordon was born and educated in Napier, before studying law in Wellington.
He served with the navy during World War 2, on HMNZS Leander in the Pacific, MHS Warsprite at Normandy and the second front and was mentioned in despatches for his service.
He served aboard the HMS Nelson in the Far East and was promoted to lieutenant commander.
Back from the war in Napier, he began his legal career with a firm, later to be known as Bisson Moss, set up by his father. He was appointed crown solicitor in Napier in 1961 and in 1976 was made a courts martial appeal court judge.
In 1978 he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court, then the equivalent of today's High Court, and in 1986 was appointed to the Court of Appeal and remained on the bench until his retirement in 1990, aged 72.
He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1987. He was knighted in 1989.
Sir Gordon served on the Court of Appeal in Samoa from 1994 until 2005 and was awarded the Companion of the Order of Samoa. He was also a member of the Court of Appeal of Kiribati from 1999 until 2001.
He was founder chairman of the New Zealand Banking Ombudsman scheme and a vice-president of the New Zealand Law Society. He also chaired the Meat Export Quota Tribunal.
Sir Gordon was prominent in Hawke's Bay life, serving on a number of sporting and community bodies.
He died at Silverstream, Upper Hutt, on Sunday and his funeral will be held at Old St Paul's in Wellington tomorrow afternoon.
He is survived by his wife Myra and their three daughters and their families.
