Travel and Learning Award for Selina Trigg

Supporting Selina Trigg to travel to Copenhagen in June 2023 to attend the International Surrogacy Forum and meet with other surrogacy professionals who are also trained in Collaborative Law.

Borrin Foundation Travel and Learning Award

Selina’s plan

Selina plans to use the Travel & Learning award to travel to Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2023 to attend the International Surrogacy Forum, the theme of which is “Global surrogacy in a changing world – ethical, practical and legal developments in assisted reproduction and cross-border parenthood”.

Selina plans to use her attendance at the Forum to connect with other surrogacy professionals globally and generate ideas for how New Zealand can ensure its surrogacy law and practices are in step with international protocols and standards. She intends to use the knowledge and ideas gained at the Forum to inform her contributions to further law reform work and the development and implementation of ‘best practice’ legal advice and processes here. In particular, Selina proposes to use the Forum as a springboard for connecting with other Collaborative lawyers who also work in the area of surrogacy law with a view to exploring how they may develop a Collaborative law approach to developing surrogacy plans & arrangements or to resolve disputes.  Selina aims to share her learnings with the legal profession and the public in a variety of ways.

About Selina

Selina Trigg is a family lawyer and mediator based in Ōtautahi / Christchurch, although she hails from Te-Ika-a-Māui / the North Island. She has a special interest in surrogacy and adoption law and Collaborative Practice. Although she has practiced in most areas of family law, her practice currently focuses on work in these areas.

Selina undertakes considerable voluntary service in Collaborative Process, both in New Zealand and internationally. Selina was a long serving Chair of Collaborative Resolution NZ. She currently serves on the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), being the first New Zealander to hold this role.  She co-chairs several Committees and Taskforces within IACP.

Selina is also active in law reform in the area of Collaborative Practice and, most recently, assisted with preparation of the New Zealand Law Society’s submissions to the Law Commission’s Review of Surrogacy Law and regarding the Improving Arrangements for Surrogacy Bill. She presented the Law Society’s submission regarding the Bill at the Select Committee hearing.

Selina is a Collaborative Practice trainer and frequently presents at workshops, trainings and conferences, here and overseas.

Grant Amount

$7,480 in 2023 to support travel

“I am grateful to the Borrin Foundation. My grant will enable me to increase my contributions to helping New Zealand become a world leader in surrogacy law and practice and to exploring innovative, Collaborative law, approaches to surrogacy practice.”

– Selina Trigg