Where Are They Now? Updates from Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Alumni

Since 2021, twelve outstanding Māori law graduates have received the Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Postgraduate Scholarship. Each recipient has been awarded up to $80,000 to pursue postgraduate study in law, either in Aotearoa or overseas, including institutions in the UK and the US.

This scholarship was created to contribute to increasing Māori postgraduate scholarship in law and strengthen Māori leadership in the legal profession. Since its launch, twelve scholars have received support to pursue postgraduate legal study in Aotearoa, the UK, and the United States. Hon David Goddard KC, Chair of the Borrin Foundation Grants and Scholarships Committee, says: “The Borrin Foundation is committed to supporting Māori legal scholarship and fostering leaders who will shape the future of Aotearoa New Zealand’s legal system. Their journeys remind us that investing in people is an investment in their future research, teaching, and advocacy.”

The scholarship is offered in partnership with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, Aotearoa New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence. Professor Tahu Kukutai, Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, says: “We are very grateful for the confidence that the Borrin Foundation continues to have in our stellar Māori legal scholars to drive toward a flourishing, just and inclusive Aotearoa. The scholarships are critical for enabling our tauira to study at top notch international institutions. We are excited to continue to see the impact of Borrin-NPM scholars’ research on the legal profession and our communities.”.

This article revisits a selection of alumni journeys from their postgraduate study through to their current roles in the community and profession to explore how they have carried the kaupapa of this scholarship into their careers.

Benjamin Morgan (Ngāti Awa, Te Patuwai), 2021 Scholar

Ben grew up on Motiti Island and began his career as a police officer before turning to the law. Supported by the Borrin-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Postgraduate Scholarship, he completed his LLM at Harvard, where his thesis compared Federal Indian law in the US and tikanga Māori in criminal justice, exploring how Indigenous frameworks could reshape Aotearoa’s justice system. Today Ben is based in Paris as a Trade Policy Analyst at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). His mahi focuses on Indigenous rights and trade, alongside gender, labour, and services trade. He has presented at major international forums including the WTO Public Forum and the Métis Nation Global Summit and is leading the drafting of what is set to be the OECD’s first major report on Indigenous trade. Reflecting on his journey, Ben says the scholarship “changed my life.” A Negotiation Workshop at Harvard, initially frustrating in its lack of Indigenous perspectives, sparked the path that led him to international trade policy and may yet inspire a future PhD. While Paris is a long way from home, Ben draws strength from his whānau, who remain his motivation as he contributes to building space for Indigenous voices on the global stage.

Dr Maryann Panoho (Te Parawhau, Ngati Manu, Te Popoto, Ko Ngāpuhi nui tonu), 2022 Scholar

Maryann has recently been appointed as a Lecturer in Law at Te Piringa Faculty of Law, University of Waikato, where she will begin her role in September. In this position, she will be lecturing in foundational legal courses and electives in Indigenous rights law and legal theory, where she looks forward to weaving her research and lived experience into the classroom. Alongside her lecturing, she will continue to collaborate with Indigenous scholars, communities, and her international networks, ensuring her work remains connected to the wider movements for Indigenous rights and justice. This follows the completion of her LLM and Doctor of Juridical Science at the University of Arizona, where her doctoral research explored the re-birth of Māori Indigenous justice systems in Aotearoa and presented a framework for a reimagined justice model grounded in tino rangatiratanga. Maryann’s work has included advising the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, drafting reports and State communications, and engaging with global Indigenous rights issues. She has been recognised with awards for her scholarship and advocacy, including the Robert A. Hershey IPLP Outstanding Tribal Advocate Award and the Vine Deloria Jr. Outstanding SJD Dissertation Award. Through her new role at Te Piringa, Maryann will contribute to the growth of Indigenous legal scholarship in Aotearoa and support the next generation of Māori and Indigenous legal thinkers.

Yasmin Olsen (Ngāpuhi (Te Ihutai), Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Tīpā), 2022 Scholar

Yasmin is now a Lecturer at the University of Otago Faculty of Law, where her research and teaching continue to focus on how the criminal justice system can better serve Māori as both victims and defendants. Her postgraduate studies at Yale Law School combined criminal law, legal theory, and comparative approaches to Indigenous peoples’ rights, and included time spent observing tribal justice systems in action. At Otago, Yasmin is part of Kōpū, the Mātauranga Māori Legal Research Practice, contributing to the integration of tikanga Māori across the law degree. She sees this work as critical to equipping future lawyers with the knowledge to contribute to the continuing development of the law and to serve Māori communities effectively. Her current research agenda centres on youth justice, particularly the way the law responds to children aged 10–12 who offend, an area where Māori are overrepresented and where she believes close examination is urgently needed.

Holly Reynolds (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Maniapoto), 2022 Scholar

Holly completed her LLM at UCLA, specialising in Native Nations Law and Indigenous women’s rights, with a focus on reproductive and maternal justice. Most recently, she has been based in Alaska, completing a law fellowship with the Alaska Native Justice Center. In this role, she worked with Tribes, state and federal partners, and community organisations on issues of tribal sovereignty and violence against Indigenous women and girls. She helped deliver tribal court training, provided technical assistance, drafted tribal laws, and facilitated intertribal working group meetings. One highlight was travelling to a rural village in the Northwest Arctic Borough to help develop a family wellness code, incorporating Iñupiaq language and traditions. Holly has also written on Indigenous child removal and Indigenous midwifery, with articles due for publication this year. She is now preparing to take the next step in her academic journey, applying for further study in public health or a PhD to address Indigenous maternal health and rights.

Rachael Evans (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Pamoana), 2022 Scholar

Rachael is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, currently on maternity leave with her pēpi. She is completing a PhD in Law that investigates how iwi and hapū can achieve financial self-sufficiency outside of Treaty settlements, drawing inspiration from Canadian First Nations’ use of infrastructure projects and taxation rights to build intergenerational wealth. Alongside her doctoral research, Rachael is an associate investigator on a Marsden-funded project exploring a Tiriti-compliant tax system, and a collaboration examining Indigenous approaches to infrastructure delivery in Aotearoa and internationally. Her published work includes articles on resourcing rangatiratanga and tax justice in Kōtuitui and the Australian Journal of Taxation. She credits the Borrin Foundation- Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholarship with allowing her to balance academic work with focused research and notes that it has reinforced her determination to see her PhD through at the highest level. Looking ahead, she is driven by a vision for Māori economic sovereignty and is working towards her goal of becoming a Professor of Law.

Pita Roycroft (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Hāmoa – Moata’a), 2023 Scholar

Pita, is about to start a new chapter in Sydney, joining the litigation team at Allens as a solicitor. While he has yet to step into his first matters, he hopes the legal thinking foundations from his postgraduate studies, including work on litigation, dispute resolution, remedies, and private law, will serve him well. At Harvard, Pita’s thesis explored the intersection of tikanga Māori and tort law, arguing for Crown recognition of certain Māori customary interests and providing legal avenues for groups engaged in customary activities on Crown land. He sees this work as a unique contribution to legal scholarship and plans to publish it to support scholars, courts, and practitioners navigating the relationship between tikanga Māori and the common law. Looking ahead, Pita is working towards his long-term goal of becoming a barrister, with a particular interest in representing clients in matters involving tikanga Māori and the common law.

Looking Ahead

Together, these journeys show how the Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Postgraduate Scholarship has supported not just individual achievement but a growing network of Māori legal scholars, practitioners, and leaders. From teaching the next generation of lawyers, to shaping criminal justice, advancing Indigenous rights in international forums, and reimagining economic sovereignty, the collective impact is clear. The kaupapa of the scholarship is woven through their mahi, contributing to lasting change for Māori and for the future of law in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Applications for the Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Postgraduate Scholarship, the Borrin Foundation Te Pae Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship, and Travel and Learning Awards are now open and will close at 12pm September 1, 2025. Information on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found here: https://www.borrinfoundation.nz/fellowshipsawards/

MORE INFORMATION

The Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation was established in 2018 through a $38 million bequest by the late Judge Ian Borrin. It is a philanthropic organisation which supports legal research, education, and scholarship. The Foundation’s current strategic areas of focus are the criminal justice system, family law and access to civil justice.

Media Contact

Oli Malthus

T: 02108044110

E: oli@borrinfoundation.nz