Women Leaders in Law Fellow Christina Pikiuha-Billing
This Fellowship is supporting Christina to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in Bioethics and Health Law (PGDipBHL), and a Master of Bioethics and Health Law degree (MBHL), through the University of Otago.
Borrin Foundation Women Leaders in Law Fellowship
Christina’s plan
The Women Leaders in Law Fellowship will assist Christina to gain two qualifications – a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDipBHL) followed by a Master’s degree in Bioethics and Health Law (MBHL). The Borrin Foundation supports Christina’s growing expertise to drive positive social change in law and health in New Zealand. This has included international academic engagement through attendance at the 17th World Congress of Bioethics (Qatar, 2024) and the International Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics (University of Brescia, 2024).
Her research has thus far received the DG Jones Prize for Postgraduate Bioethics and is published in leading legal journals including the Journal of Law and Medicine (Thomson Reuters) and the New Zealand Law Journal. Christina’s work has also been cited in the Ihi “Understanding Policing Delivery” research commissioned by New Zealand Police – an initiative focused on examining the fairness and equity of policing practices towards Māori people and wider communities within New Zealand (2024).
About Christina
Ngati Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki
Christina Pikiuha-Billing is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, specialising in accident compensation litigation, health law, professional regulation, human rights and Māori-Crown relations. Her diverse legal career includes roles as a legal aid provider, mental health duty lawyer, and legal counsel before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
She has served as a Senior Inspector under delegation from the Chief Ombudsman for New Zealand’s National Preventive Mechanism, monitoring places of detention in compliance with the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and is an appointed Deputy Lawyer member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal. Christina’s volunteering roles include the New Zealand Women’s Law Journal advocacy group, Wātene Māori (Māori Wardens), as a peer reviewer for the international Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (Springer).
Christina’s leadership is reflected in advancing social justice through bioethics and health law. She is committed to contributing both academically and through her professional practice to just and equitable outcomes for tāngata whaiora (people in pursuit of health).
Grant Amount
$28,500 in 2023-2028
“Iti rearea teitei Kahikatea ka taea.” The little bellbird can ascend the heights of the Kahikatea tree – with determination, perseverance, and grit, we can achieve lofty goals. I am honoured to be recognised as a Borrin Fellow, as mana wahine, and to contribute to the legacy of Judge Borrin’s vision.“