The Solicitor-General is also the chief executive of the Crown Law Office, that comprises lawyers employed to represent the Attorney-General in court proceedings in New Zealand.
As the non-political Law Officer, the Solicitor-General has traditionally assumed responsibility for the exercise of those functions that should be undertaken independently of the political process.
New Zealand has had its own Attorney-General since 1841[2] and the position of Solicitor-General was established in 1867[3] which was initially a political office as it currently is in England.
[10] Heron is a former partner of Meredith Connell (the firm that holds the Crown Prosecution warrant in Auckland) and more recently, Russell McVeagh.
In turn, his predecessor was Dr David Collins KC, who was appointed as a judge of the High Court in March 2012.