This volume of essays celebrates the first 50 years in the life of the New Zealand Court of Appeal. The move, in 1958, to a Court of Appeal comprising permanent appellate judges was an important landmark in the development of New Zealand law.

The chapters highlight areas where the Court of Appeal has made a significant contribution to New Zealand and wider Commonwealth law, showing how the Court's jurisprudence has both reflected and contributed to resolving some of the pressing issues of the times.They are a critical reflection on the changing work and achievements of the permanent Court over the past half-century.

In addition to recording the perspectives of a former President on the Court's achievements, the essays in this volume deal with such varied topics as: the role and use of precedent by the Court of Appeal; the Court's contribution to Commonwealth administrative law; criminal appeals; relationship property; accident compensation and tort litigation; company law; equity in commercial dealings; and the rights of Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.