Travel and Learning Award for Dr Kayla Stewart
Borrin Foundation Travel and Learning Award
Kayla’s plan
Kayla is using the award to support her professional development as Programme Lead of the NCJO and to help shape its future direction and impact. She will visit university-based legal clinics in Australia and the United Kingdom to see how clinical programmes engage students in access to civil justice work. She is particularly interested in how these models could be adapted for the NCJO, creating opportunities for students to contribute to research, system mapping, and the coordination work that supports collective impact across the civil justice sector, ultimately helping to improve access to civil justice. These insights have the potential to grow the NCJO’s capacity and sustainability, while helping build a pipeline of graduates with a strong understanding of access to justice and system improvement.
The award will also take her to the 2026 International Access to Justice Forum in Melbourne, themed “Evidence and Action”, where she will present a paper. The Forum explores the gap between empirical research and person-centred justice, a natural fit for her work at the NCJO, and an opportunity to connect with researchers and practitioners tackling similar challenges, share ideas, and bring fresh thinking back to the NCJO’s work in Aotearoa.
About Kayla
Dr Kayla Stewart is the Programme Lead for the National Civil Justice Observatory (NCJO) based at the Civil Justice Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Otago. The NCJO is a collective impact initiative that works to strengthen access to civil justice across Aotearoa. In this role, she supports collaboration and collective action across the civil justice ecosystem by connecting people and organisations, sharing evidence and insights, and fostering a shared understanding of priorities and opportunities in this area. Much of her career has been focussed on socio-legal research to improve access to civil justice. Her previous research topics have included legal need and the design of legal assistance services, the pricing of legal services, pro bono legal work, and the pace of civil litigation. Kayla is motivated by research and work that improves people’s real-world experiences of the law and contributes to positive social change.
Grant Amount
$10,000 in 2026 to support travel
“I’m very grateful to the Borrin Foundation for this award. It gives me the opportunity to learn from others, and to bring back ideas, connections, and skills to support my commitment and work towards strengthening access to civil justice in Aotearoa.”