Anne Gambrill, a New Zealand lawyer and judge, died on February 10, 2026, aged 91.
Born Anne Gertrude Shorland in Wellington in 1934, she was the first woman to sit on the High Court bench in New Zealand and the seventh woman admitted to the judiciary. She was also the first female law clerk at Russell McVeagh and the first woman appointed to the Legal Aid Appeal Authority.
She married lawyer Christopher Gambrill in Auckland in 1960, and they had three children.
Anne Gertrude Gambrill CNZM (née Shorland; 16 September 1934 – 10 February 2026) was a New Zealand lawyer and judge. She was the first woman to sit on the High Court bench in New Zealand, and the seventh woman admitted to the judiciary. She was also the first female law clerk at Russell McVeagh and the first woman appointed to the Legal Aid Appeal Authority.