Borrin Grants for Legal Projects

The National Civil Justice Observatory is a new initiative hosted by the University of Otago to improve access to civil justice through collaboration and shared learning. About the project The National Civil Justice Observatory (the Observatory) is a newly established...

He Kura Toi Tangata: 50 Years of the Waitangi Tribunal" is a photo exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the Waitangi Tribunal, highlighting key moments and milestones in its history. About the project The Waitangi Tribunal will mark its 50th anniversary in...

Understanding Policing Delivery (UPD) was an independent research programme that ran from 2021 to 2024 and sought to identify whether, where, and to what extent bias exists at a system level in New Zealand Police’s operating environment. About the project The UPD...

Hui-ā-Tau 2024 was the annual conference of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, bringing together Māori legal professionals and students to engage in kōrero, professional development, and celebration of Māori legal excellence. About the project Te Hunga Rōia Māori o...

Civics in Schools aims to test the ability of civics education to improve youth participation in law-making and support an engaged, informed society.About the project Civics in Schools is a pilot programme being developed by YouthLaw Aotearoa. Over 40-years, YouthLaw...

This project aims to explore whether fundamental rights recognised through tikanga exist irrespective of whether they are reflected in legislation or within a constitution and, Indigenous communities are already exercising these rights. About the project Recent...

The project aims to investigate the need for a clearing house providing pro bono legal assistance on civil appeals in the New Zealand Court of Appeal.About the project All self-represented litigants who come before the Court of Appeal in civil matters should have the...

Using administrative data from Stats NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), the study analyses whether people of different ethnicities are treated differently in Aotearoa’s criminal justice system.About the project This research project examines court outcomes for...

This project involves the creation of an online, open-source handbook that will be a guide for lawyers and litigants involved in trans-Tasman civil proceedings.About the project The Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 and its counterpart legislation in Australia created...

This book celebrates the career of Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer KC through essays by prominent figures, examining key themes of his work—constitutional law, democracy, indigenous relations, environmental issues, and law reform—while reflecting on the future of these...

A conference in memory of the late Dr Moana Jackson, this two-day hui continued the constitutional conversations sparked through Matike Mai Aotearoa, and aimed to identify practical steps towards designing an inclusive constitution for Aotearoa. About the project...

This project seeks to identify a proactive LGBTQI+ rights agenda by recognising opportunities for law reform from a queer and trans perspective. About the project Using comparative, socio-legal and participatory methodology, this project aims to canvass deficiencies...

Canterbury University Press will publish Mental Health and Criminal Justice: A New Zealand Guide, an open-access book edited by Dr Marozane Spamers.About the project This book aims to address a perceived gap in the criminal justice literature and support a new course...

This project seeks to educate law students around Aotearoa New Zealand about academic publication by delivering seminars at each law school about researching, writing and publishing legal articles.About the project Law students are the next generation of lawyers and...

Benefit Me is a digital service connecting NZ citizens & benefit advocates to the social welfare information and access they need. About the project While many social security supports exist in legislation to help citizens, the Benefit Me team are concerned that...

Te Rauhī i te Tikanga – A Tikanga Companion will be a rich digital resource, a ‘companion’, to assist those learning about law in Aotearoa New Zealand to understand how tikanga Māori operate as a system legal norms and practices for Māori communities, and how those...

The highly successful one-woman play Prima Facie about a criminal defense barrister whose view of the legal system changes after she is sexually assaulted will be touring to various regions in New Zealand.About the project After a sell out season at Circa Theatre in...

‘Tikanga and the State’ - an edited collection of papers by Tā E. Taihākurei Durie, former Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court and Chair of the Waitangi Tribunal. To be published by University of Auckland Press.About the project The papers are drawn from multiple...

This project explores a pathway for New Zealand to adopt four key treaties on international civil procedure developed by the Hague Conference on Private International LawAbout the project This project explores the advantages and process for New Zealand to adopt four...

Tulaga Vae means a space to stand and feel empowered and connected. The programme aims to promote Pacific people working in the Family Law space.About the project Tulaga Vae is a foundational legal training programme that aims to inspire Pacific law graduates, lawyers...

Using qualitative empirical and comparative research, this project will examine the current law and practice relating to bail and remand, the conditions of detention and impacts on whānau, and the possibilities for reform of the law, justice processes and...

This project aims to educate and empower Māori to better understand the intersection between free trade policy and rules and two contemporary Tiriti o Waitangi issues: the rangatiratanga/kawanatanga relationship in international trade treaty-making, building on Matike...

Te Kura Rōia is a three day full immersion intensive kura reo designed to lift the capability of te reo Māori speakers within the legal community.About the project Te Kura Rōia, also known as Te Kura Reo a Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, is a Māori language programme...

Te Herenga Waka University Press will publish FRAGILE FOUNDATIONS: The Application of English Criminal Law to crimes committed in New Zealand between 1826 and 1907, a book by David Collins, in 2024. ​ About the project The arrival of Europeans in Aotearoa led to...

The Sir Kenneth Keith lecture is held concurrently with the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL) Annual Conference on the years that it is hosted in Wellington.  About the project Sir Kenneth Keith is one of New Zealand’s preeminent...

The University of Auckland Business School will host the New Zealand Labour Law Society Conference 2023 conference with the theme “The Changing Landscape of Employment Law in Aotearoa New Zealand” on 16 and 17 November 2023 (the first time that the conference has been...

This project is a target discussion exploring key perspectives of crime and justice affecting youth from youth workers, and specialists.About the project This project is a targeted discussion to unveil the drivers of youth engagement in harm and crime. The Truth about...

This project is a conference that was held to honour and reflect on the contribution made by Moana Jackson in addressing injustice in our law and constitution. About the project Hosted by Te Wānanga o Raukawa and the National Iwi Chair’s Forum’s Pou Tikanga, the...

This project involves performing, touring, and filming a professional theatrical production of “All of Us” by Rebecca Abrams, as a tool for community education and engagement with Restorative Justice.About the project The first phase of the project will see the...

The lecture honours the extraordinary contributions Sir Ivor Richardson made to New Zealand jurisprudence and the teaching of law.About the project The focus of the Ivor Richardson lecture is to be “Private Law in Action”, with the speaker drawn from leading New...

The first phase of a proposed three-phase socio-legal project investigating indirect parent-child contact via electronic means (virtual contact) after parental separation. About the project Virtual contact refers to post-separation indirect contact between a parent...

The Centre for Justice Innovation is being established to provide an independent, evidence-based voice on justice issues, through multidisciplinary research, evaluation, and education. About the project With an emphasis on translation to operations and practice, the...

The Folau He Vahanoa Legal Education programme will educate and empower those organisations and individuals engaged directly with Pacific families who are navigating legal issues.  Folau He Vahanoa will play an important role in ensuring that the voices of Pacific...

“Islands and Ocean: Public Law in a Plural World”, 9th Annual Conference of the International Society of Public Law (ICON•S) hosted by the New Zealand Centre for Public Law at the Faculty of Law of Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.About the project...

This research seeks to provide a dedicated appraisal of the ways in which migrant women reporting violence experience New Zealand's court processes, with special reference to the Family Court as the key point of engagement with court systems after violence.About the...

A two-day education seminar to be delivered in November 2023 aimed at enhancing access to legal representation for separated people who have assets of modest value and are in need of assistance to divide those assets at the end of their relationship.About the project...

An investigation of an evidence-based approach to sentencing, supporting judges to make decisions that are rational and thereby promote the dignity of those involved in the criminal justice system. About the project The Sentencing Act 2002 provides a framework for...

Brainbox is conducting legal research to investigate how disinformation can be approached as a policy problem without undermining human rights principles. About the project Currently, a number of jurisdictions around the world - including New Zealand - view...

This project considers how climate change literacy could be incorporated into core legal subjects taught in New Zealand Law Schools. About the project This project considers how climate change literacy could be incorporated into core legal subjects taught in New...

Netsafe.org.nz’s chatbot pilot will try to answer more New Zealander’s questions about online safety and triage enquiries from our website into our complaint pathways and into other legal processes. About the project Kora is Netsafe’s first chatbot produced with...

A six-part series of Research Highlights that draw on key findings from a socio-legal research project aimed at assisting separated people to divide their property following the end of a relationship in New Zealand. About the project This research project was...

Using curated content from an April 2022 online wānanga targeted at low decile high school students potentially interested in law, this project will produce an engaging, long-lasting and easily accessible video series to educate and inspire more diverse peoples to...

This project will evaluate the state of forensic-science evidence in New Zealand criminal courts to ascertain whether the Evidence Act 2006 is sufficient to ensure the validity and reliability of scientific evidence used in criminal trials in New Zealand.About the...

The project will develop a preferred model for reforming Aotearoa New Zealand’s oceans management system and set out a pathway for transitioning to the reformed model. About the project This is phase 2 of EDS’s oceans management system reform project. It follows on...

This project is the first stage in designing a rich digital resource, a ‘companion’, to assist those in the learning, teaching and practice of law in Aotearoa New Zealand to understand how tikanga Māori operate as legal norms for Māori communities, and how those norms...

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, the New Zealand Human Rights Commission is hosting a conference for Rainbow and Takatāpui communities on Rainbow rights in Aotearoa New Zealand.

How to talk about criminal justice reform in Aotearoa New Zealand: research and training to ensure an evidence informed public discussion.

Re-imagining a different future for people experiencing mental distress and/or addiction in our criminal justice system.

Producing a solutions-focused report capturing ideas for how to stop sexual harassment and bullying in the legal profession

‘There is a story to be told’ – documentary storytelling for Moana Jackson’s research about the criminal justice system and Māori.

A nationwide tour for Sir Kim Workman to speak about his life’s work in criminal justice.

A cross-disciplinary dialogue exploring strategies to address the current prison crisis in New Zealand.

A conference to inform and inspire the future directions of the adult Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts (Te Whare Whakapiki Wairua – The House that Lifts the Spirit)

A study of the role of gangs in the imprisonment process.

A pilot for a podcast series about justice for Radio New Zealand.

Collaborative research on making Māori law a firm foundational component of learning law in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Providing law students with clinical legal education that supports transformative change in the law that addresses Māori rights .

Offending by children under 13 is linked to lifelong crime. We must better understand and prevent it.

Creating informative resources to help imprisoned mothers, their families and others to understand their rights as to their children.

Is the regulatory regime of the 2012 Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act serving communities well?

Developing a better trial process for victims/survivors of partner rape by assessing current practices.

Workshops bringing together legal professionals, policy makers and community workers to discuss research on reforming trial process in adult acquaintance rape cases.

Supporting a symposium on children’s rights in a time of legislative and policy change.

Designing an improved resource management system and transition pathway for implementation.

Making information on employment law more accessible to New Zealanders through enhancements to the WorkBot chatbot.

Annual public lecture supporting women in law.