Law Professor to receive Palmes académiques

Law Professor to receive Palmes académiques

Victoria University Law School Professor Tony Angelo has been named a Knight in the Order of Academic Palms (Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes académiques) by the French Government.

The decoration is given to those who have advanced the cause of French culture, education and the arts, and particularly recognises Professor Angelo’s work in French Polynesia.

The honour acknowledges his long involvement with the Université de la Polynésie française (UPF), and its predecessor the Université française du Pacifique.

UPF President, Professor Sylvie André, will present the award at a special ceremony at Victoria University on Tuesday, 5 August (tomorrow).

Professor Angelo, a comparative law specialist with a particular interest in the Pacific Islands, has published widely, contributing to colloquia and conferences held by UPF over many years and acting as a link between the French legal world and the rest of the Pacific.

He has also been involved in the codification and revision of the laws of Mauritius and with the law of the Seychelles.

Professor Angelo’s work with UPF includes the establishment of the Revue juridique polynésienne - a bilingual journal published in association with the Victoria University of Wellington Law Review and the New Zealand Association for Comparative Law. The journal is considered an important medium for spreading French culture in the Pacific

He has also set up a course with UPF entitled Droit du Pacifique, introducing students to the common law and legal systems in force in other Pacific Island states.

L’Ordre des Palmes académiques was established in 1808 by Napoleon and is the most prestigious decoration a scholar can receive from the French Government.

Victoria University Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law, Professor Matthew Palmer, says he is delighted that Professor Angelo is to receive the award.
“It is not common for this award to be made to foreign academics,” says Professor Palmer. “I understand this is the first time this honour has ever been awarded to a New Zealand legal academic.”

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