Judge Profile

Peter Hanley

Upon migrating to New Zealand in 1991 from the UK, I became actively involved in the show world with the NZCF breeding and showing Birmans under the Coojabal and Cottonsox prefixes.

This seemed to be a natural progression in a lifelong love affair with cats, as far back as I can remember, cats have been a part of my life, and they have never ceased to hold a fascination for me. So becoming involved with others who share the love of cats through the shows and the local clubs was a perfect counterpoint to a busy professional life in the IT world.

Working my way through all of the roles on the show floor, from handler to Show Manager led me to apply to become a Judge, and in the late 1990's I successfully qualified as a Longhair Judge for the New Zealand Cat Fancy. In 2005 I applied for and gained my Shorthair license, becoming an All Breeds Judge in 2007. I am also a Longhair Tutor Judge, and enjoy passing on my knowledge and experiences to others who are following in my footsteps. I have judged all over New Zealand and in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Today I am still breeding Birmans in a small way, working towards re-establishing a line of Birmans which retain some of the original New Zealand, UK and Australian lines and type, and which have only blue and seal in their genetic makeup.

I thoroughly enjoy and am always honoured by the opportunity to judge, and strongly believe that the cats are always the stars of the show, and making the experience as enjoyable for them is paramount. My judging philosophy is to honour and respect every cat, every exhibitor, every worker and every fellow judge, for without all of these there would be no show to enjoy.