Who's who
New Chair appointed to the New Zealand Parole Board
The Honourable Jan‑Marie Doogue is Chair of the New Zealand Parole Board.
Hon. Doogue began her legal career in 1981 and became a partner of the Auckland law firm Cairns Slane in 1986. She joined the partnership of Morrison Morpeth in 1990.
In 1992 Hon. Doogue joined the independent Bar joining William Martin Chambers in Auckland before her appointment as a District and Family Court Judge in 1994. She served on those Courts from 1994 until 2019.
Hon. Doogue has had long experience in human rights law. She represented New Zealand at numerous meetings of The Hague Private Law Conference between 1997 and 2009 on child abduction and child support culminating in her being elected as President of the final commission of the Child Support Convention.
In 2011 Hon. Doogue was appointed Chief Judge of the District Court of New Zealand.As Chief Judge she received several awards from the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration for excellence in various aspects of judicial administration.She also oversaw the introduction of the Alcohol and other drug Court and sexual violence courts designed to improve the trial process for both victims and defendants.
In 2019 Hon. Doogue was appointed to the High Court, serving until her retirement in 2024.
Hon. Doogue took up her appointment as Chair of the New Zealand Parole Board on 15 July 2025.
Panel convenors
Forensic psychiatrist members
Professor Susanna Every-Palmer
Professor Every-Palmer is Head of the Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Wellington and forensic psychiatrist. She held numerous senior leadership roles in mental health including as a Forensic Clinical Director and as the Acting Director of Mental Health for New Zealand. Susanna is a former Chair of the New Zealand Committee of the RANZCP and a current Vice-President of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatry. She has served as an expert advisor to New Zealand and Australian Governments, agencies and NGOs. Susanna has over 150 peer-reviewed research outputs and is ranked in Expertscape’s top 0.2% of published academics worldwide in the field of mental health. Appointed: 2024.
Dr Blair Leslie
Dr Blair Leslie is a forensic psychiatrist qualified in both medicine and law. He is employed with the Regional Forensic mental health service, Wellington. He has clinical experience in inpatient, prison and community care settings. He also has experience as a lawyer, gained with Crown Law and in international organisations in Geneva including the World Health Organisation and World Trade Organisation. Appointed: 2024.
Dr Jeremy Skipworth
is a forensic psychiatrist, who also works at the Mason Clinic in Auckland where he was Clinical Director from 2010-2019. He has clinical experience in both acute and rehabilitation forensic settings, as well as in prisons, the community, and was Deputy Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health from 2003-2007. Dr Skipworth has lectured on medico-legal report writing, giving expert evidence, and applying the law to mental health issues. He has published in international journals relating to his particular areas of interest, which include risk assessment, rehabilitation, and mental health legislation reform. Appointed: 2008.