Cheryl Gwyn

Fmr. Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, New Zealand

Cheryl Gwyn was appointed as New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security commencing 5 May 2014, for a three year term and was reappointed in May 2017 for a further three years. She is the first Inspector-General to be appointed under amended legislation which
significantly expands the Inspector-General’s powers and resources and removes the requirement that the appointee be a retired Judge. The Inspector-General’s role includes reviewing the legality and propriety of intelligence and security agency activities and investigating complaints relating to the agencies. The Inspector-General has power to initiate her own inquiries. Ms Gwyn has broad public law experience, having spent ten years as Deputy Solicitor-General in the New Zealand Crown Law Office, where she provided legal advice and representation to Ministers and Departments, principally in constitutional matter, including indigenous rights and human rights issues. Latterly she provided advice to New Zealand’s intelligence community. That position was preceded by two years managing a large policy group, as Deputy Secretary for Justice. Before entering the public service, Ms Gwyn was a litigation partner at two of New Zealand’s largest law firms. In August 2019 Ms Gwyn was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand