Robert Philip Smellie (20 August 1930 â 23 December 2025) was a New Zealand lawyer and judge. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1979, and served as a High Court judge from 1985 until 1998.
Smellie was born in Dunedin on 20 August 1930, the son of Winifred Lilian and Peter Orr Smellie. He was educated at Otago Boysâ High School, and went on to study at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1958.
In 1959, Smellie married Lyndsay Ann Craig, and the couple had three children.
Smellie began his legal career with Grierson, Jackson and Partners (later Simpson Grierson). He was appointed Queen's Counsel on 20 August 1979. Between 1982 and 1985, he served as chair of the Equal Opportunities Tribunal. He was appointed to the High Court bench on 18 December 1985.
After retiring from full-time judicial work in 1998, Smellie continued to serve as an acting High Court judge until 2002. He then served as a judge of the Fiji Court of Appeal until 2007.
In 1990, Smellie was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. On 9 August 1998, he was granted retention of the title The Honourable for life, in recognition of this services as a judge of the High Court. He was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services as a judge of the High Court.
Smellie died on 23 December 2025 at the age of 95. He had been predeceased by his wife, Lyndsay Smellie, in 2008.