Te Pae Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship for Janielee Avia
Borrin Foundation Te Pae Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship
About Janielee
Janielee Avia is of Sāmoan/European descent and was born and raised in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. She is one of four sisters. Her dad immigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand when he was 21 and her mum was born in Aotearoa on a working holiday from the UK. Janielee is currently working as a Solicitor and Crown Prosecutor at Luke Cunningham Clere. She graduated from Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws in 2021. While at University, she was part of the Pasifika Law Students’ Society and continues supporting this kaupapa through building relationships between Pasifika students and her firm.
What Janielee is studying
The Te Pae Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship will enable Janielee to pursue Masters level study in the United Kingdom. Her study will focus on criminal justice. Her vision is to explore how Pasifika knowledge can inform criminal justice reform, including critiques of current prison models. Through a cultural lens, Janielee aims to critically analyse the foundations of Western criminal justice and explore the history of prisons, particularly their role in contributing to cultural loss for Pasifika peoples.
Scholarship amount
$64,000
“E lele le toloa ae ma’au i le vai. With the support of Borrin and guided by the wisdom of my ancestors who navigated the stars, I am grateful to chart new waters with this opportunity.”