Margaret Bedggood: key obituary facts
Is Margaret Bedggood dead? Yes. Margaret Bedggood died on September 8, 2026, at age 87.
Cause of death: Margaret Bedggood's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Margaret Bedggood known for?
She was a New Zealand legal scholar (1939–2026).
More about Margaret Bedggood
Born: 10 April 1939.
Place of birth: Takapuna.
Gender: female.
Occupation: jurist.
Education: University of Auckland, University College London, University of Otago.
Employer: University of Waikato.
Awards: New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993, Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, honorary doctor of the University of Waikato, Companion of the Queen's Service Order.
Spouse: Richard Mulgan.
Also known as: Margaret Ann Bedggood Mulgan, Margaret Ann Bedggood, Margaret Bedggood Mulgan, Margaret Mulgan, Margaret Ann Mulgan.
Margaret Bedggood, the New Zealand legal scholar and former chief human rights commissioner, died on September 8, 2026, aged 87.
Born Margaret Ann Bedggood in Takapuna on April 10, 1939, she became a jurist and was known for a time by her married name, Margaret Mulgan. Bedggood served as New Zealand’s chief human rights commissioner from 1989 to 1994, then spent five years as dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato.
She also taught at the University of Otago, tutored at the University of Oxford and remained associated with Waikato as an honorary professor after retiring in 2003. Her honours included the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal, the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and the Companion of the Queen’s Service Order.