Travel and Learning Award for Erica Burke
Supporting Erica Burke to travel to Australia, Scotland, Norway and California to visit, learn from and establish relationships with selected organisations, specifically women’s legal clinics that provide targeted legal support and advocacy for women with a particular focus on the legal support provided and strategic processes adopted in respect of family law related issues.
Borrin Foundation Travel and Learning Award
Erica’s plan
Erica plans to use the Travel and Learning Award to visit select organisations that provide targeted legal support and advocacy for women in Australia, Scotland, San Francisco and Oslo. Her travel will focus on the legal support provided and strategic processes adopted by these organisations, particularly in respect of family law related issues.
Erica’s wider vision is to develop the framework for a free and inclusive legal clinic and advocacy centre in Tāmaki Makaurau for those who identify as wāhine. The holistic kaupapa for this project as well as the mechanisms for establishing it and determining the structure and scope of services to be provided, will be developed by her research and learnings gained whilst visiting and connecting with the comparable centres referred to above.
The Award is expected to facilitate international connections between the existing centres (as above) and that which Erica plans to develop in Tāmaki Makaurau.
About Erica
Erica is a Senior Associate specialising in Family Law. Her areas of expertise include relationship property, care of children and family violence matters amongst others. She is Co-Editor in Chief of the New Zealand Women’s Law Journal – Te Aho Kawe Kaupapa Ture a ngā Wāhine for the 2023 edition. Previously, Erica has been Secretary and committee member of the Auckland Women Lawyers’ Association for a period of four years. In 2024, she looks forward to continuing her role as mentor within the University of Auckland Law School He Ira Wāhine – Women’s Mentoring Programme.
Erica graduated from the University of Auckland in 2016 with a BA (Political Science)/LLB (Hons). She is based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Erica is a strong advocate for women’s rights, their safety and representation.
Grant Amount
$10,000 in 2024 to support travel
“The Award provides an incredible opportunity to develop a project which will support women’s (and invariably, children’s) legal position and access to justice. I am honoured to represent the Borrin Foundation in receiving this award as the Foundation and this project share values and visions of an inclusive, just society.”