Former High Court Judge, Hon. Dame Lowell Goddard DNZM QC, has been
announced as the newest patron of spinal cord injury research charity,
CatWalk Trust.
Dame Lowell, who served as a judge of the High Court of New Zealand
between 1995 and 2015, has been a significant supporter of the
trust for many years, and has previously been a member of its
grants committee.
CatWalk Trust general manager Meg Speirs says she is delighted to have
Dame Lowell on board as a patron.
Dame Lowell, who has long been tenacious in her support of the Trust’s
pursuit of finding a cure for spinal cord injuries, says, “The body of scientific evidence suggests a cure will be found within our lifetime, and I look forward to our continued work together raising funds to help finance that research.”
Dame Lowell says she feels honoured to have been offered the role as
patron, and looks forward to helping raise awareness of the charity.
“Our family has long been involved with the equestrian industry, and through this involvement has seen the serious impact that spinal injuries can have first-hand, not only on those affected but also on their families. I look forward to working alongside the CatWalk Trust to increase awareness of the very real likelihood of a cure for spinal cord
injury, and to support the pioneering research being done to find that cure.”
Of Ngati Kahungunu ancestry, Dame Lowell was the first person of Maori descent to sit in the High Court, joining the bench in 1995. She later become the first woman appointed to a division of the Court of Appeal in New Zealand.
Dame Lowell joins a number of other high-profile patrons of the CatWalk Trust, including former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, international equestrian rider Zara Phillips, Olympic BMX silver medallist Sarah Walker, and media personality Toni Street.
