The death of Sir Bruce Slane means the legal profession has lost a great communicator and campaigner for individual rights, New Zealand Law Society President Kathryn Beck says.
Sir Bruce died yesterday, aged 85. In a long career of service to the public and the legal profession he was 19th President of the New Zealand Law Society, from 1982 to 1985. Sir Bruce was New Zealand’s first Privacy Commissioner, from 1992 to 2003, and also chaired the Broadcasting Tribunal from 1977 until its abolition in 1990.
“As our first Privacy Commissioner Sir Bruce established the framework for our current privacy codes of practice and laws to preserve individual rights to privacy,” Ms Beck says. “Alongside this was his work with the Broadcasting Tribunal, where he promoted the public right to a free and balanced exchange of information.
“In the legal profession he was renowned for his openness and great communication skills. While President of the New Zealand Law Society he wrote a regular column in the national magazine LawTalk and ranged widely and entertainingly over many different topics.
“This continued afterwards and he was also a newspaper columnist, hosted radio talkback, and was a prominent member of the Communications and Media Law Association.
“His passion for preservation of individual rights and freedoms was a hallmark of his life. This included time serving as a council member of the International Bar Association.
“Our society owes a great debt to Sir Bruce for the contribution he made to the difficult task of balancing individual rights to privacy with the need for an open society where there is a right to obtain information on matters affecting everyone.”
