LawFuel Power List
No. 4
Over 600 cases resulting in High Court judgments. That’s not a typo, Hodder’s been appearing in New Zealand’s senior courts since 1980, racking up victories and precedents with the relentlessness of a metronome.
His Three Waters work (representing Timaru, Waimakariri, and Whangarei councils) put him at the intersection of local government, property rights, and political theatre. Recent cases include the cancelled Molyneux/Southern speaking tour challenge (free speech versus council powers) and the Tahr Foundation’s fight against DOC’s culling plans.
At Shortland Chambers Hodder remains the lawyer other lawyers brief when the stakes are existential. He’s not flashy; he’s thorough. In a profession that rewards both, thoroughness ages better.
LawFuel Power List 2025
