Prison Law Aotearoa: Assisting efforts to secure prisoners’ rights

Assisting efforts to secure prisioners rights

This is a project to bring together the law on prisoners’ rights in Aotearoa New Zealand in an open access textbook.

About the project

This project aims to provide the first detailed account and analysis of prison law – both tikanga and state law – in Aotearoa New Zealand. Currently, there is no single study bringing these sources together. It does so to assist efforts to secure prisoners’ rights by helping more lawyers to spot legal issues, accurately advise prisoners on whether they have a meritorious legal claim, and to represent them when they do. It is hoped that the project may also aid in identifying opportunities for strategic litigation to vindicate prisoners’ rights.

The project will include doctrinal research on the law as well as hold a wānanga to assist in understanding the tikanga relevant to prisons.

The main outcome of the project will be an open access textbook on prison law in the country alongside a report from the wānanga.

Grant amount

$153,000 over 3 years or for work from 2026-2029

About the researchers

Dr James Mehigan is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Canterbury and a barrister at Garden Court Chambers in London. His full profile is available at: https://profiles.canterbury.ac.nz/James-Mehigan

Dr Eesvan Krishnan is a barrister at Thorndon Chambers, Wellington, and Blackstone Chambers, London. He is Chair of the Wellington Howard League, a prison reform NGO. His full profile is available at: https://www.chambers.co.nz/barristers/eesvan-krishnan

Dr Fleur Te Aho (Ngāti Mutunga) is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Law. Her full profile is available at: https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/f-teaho