Details released for Sir Peter Williams QC's funeral

Sir Peter Williams was a keen sailor. Photo / Doug Sherring

Sir Peter Williams: 1934-2015

The funeral for Sir Peter Williams, a widely respected New Zealand lawyer and prison reform campaigner, will be held this Saturday in Auckland.

The service will be held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell at 1pm.

A death notice in the New Zealand Herald this morning described Sir Peter as the dearly loved husband of Lady Heeni Phillips-Williams, much loved father of Cara, Durell and Paula, Katie and Clint, and loved grandad of Scarlett, Conor, Grace, Toby, Plum, Iris, and Rory.

The funeral will be followed by a private cremation.The 80-year-old Queen's Counsel, who battled prostate cancer for almost a decade, died surrounded by friends and family at his Ponsonby, Auckland home about 6.30pm on Tuesday.

Sir Peter took on clients in some of New Zealand's most significant trials, including Arthur Allan Thomas, Terry "Mr Asia" Clark, and in the Bassett Rd machine-gun murders case.

He was made a knight companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to law in the New Year Honours.

The details of his funeral came as Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias said: "He was someone who battled injustice. He stood up for the humane treatment of prisoners, never a popular cause, and challenged the climate of punitiveness which is so wasteful of human potential.

"Sir Peter was an outstanding criminal advocate in the courts and a man of considerable kindness."