Tompkins Wake Annual Public Lecture

We are pleased to invite you to a public lecture with Dr Mai Chen.

Drawing on her extensive experience as one of New Zealand’s leading experts in constitutional law, public law, and superdiversity, Dr Chen will speak on:

"The taming of MMP by the formation of a true coalition government: Impact on Policy/Lawmaking and the Courts in Superdiverse NZ."

Dr Mai Chen explores how the first true coalition government under MMP -between National, ACT and New Zealand First - is reshaping policy and law-making, and impacts on the courts’ role. Drawing on her writing in Discrimination in New Zealand: A Personal Journey (VUWLR) and The Public Law Toolbox (2ed, Lexisnexis), Dr Chen examines the first true coalition government in NZ’s MMP history on how law and policy are made.

She also addresses the complex challenge of making New Zealand’s unwritten constitution - including the Rule of Law and the Treaty of Waitangi - understandable and accessible to New Zealand’s increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse population, and the consequences for policy/lawmaking and the courts when it isn’t.

The Tompkins Wake Public Lecture will be held in the Lecture Theatre (Room 2.03) on Level Two, University of Waikato Tauranga Campus.

Mai Chen (LLB(Hons)(Otago), (LLM(Harvard),HonLLD(Otago), CMInstD), barrister, is one of NZ’s top constitutional and administrative law experts and was previously:

• Founding and Managing Partner, Chen Palmer Public and Employment law Specialists, New Zealand, NZ’s first public law specialist firm she founded with the Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer KC
• Former Adjunct Professor at University of Auckland School of Law and former Adjunct Professor in Commercial and Public Law at the University of Auckland, Business School, and Senior Law Lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Law.
• Chair the Superdiversity Institute of Law, Policy and Business
• President of New Zealand Asian Lawyers.
• Former independent non-executive Director, Bank of NZ Board and Chair, BNZ People and Remuneration Committee
• Securities Commission member
• Inaugural Chair, NZ Global Women, NZ Asian Leaders, Superdiverse Women
• Top 10 finalist, 2014 and 2016 New Zealander of the Year
• Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life, Global Diversity List supported by The Economist
• Author of many books and articles including Public Law Toolbox (Lexis Nexis, 2nd ed); Public Law in New Zealand (Oxford University Press, co-authored) and Culturally and Linguistically Parties in the Courts: A Chinese case study (Superdiversity Institute, November 2019).
• Conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Otago in 2023 for her contribution to the legal profession and to Public Law.

When Mai’s family emigrated to NZ from Taiwan, she only spoke two words of English.

This Lecture is brought to you by the Faculty of Law and Tompkins Wake.

Drinks and nibbles will be available from 5.00 pm.

The Lecture will begin at 5:30 pm, followed by Q&A.

Parking is available across the road at the Spring Street Parking Building.

Please note that seating is limited, so registering to attend this event is essential.

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE as soon as possible.

Also check out other Arts events in Tauranga, Fine Arts events in Tauranga, Theatre events in Tauranga.