Michael And Suzanne Borrin Foundation Announces Postgraduate Scholarship & Travel And Learning Award Recipients

Today, the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of its August 2024 Individual Funding Round. This year's scholars and awardees have shown dedication to advancing justice and expanding legal knowledge within Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

Borrin Foundation - Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Postgraduate Scholarship

In collaboration with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence, the Borrin Foundation is proud to support up-and-coming Māori scholars as they undertake advanced legal study. This year, a total pool of $180,000 was split between three outstanding scholars through the Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Postgraduate Scholarship to advance their research in jurisprudence, constitutional law, and indigenous legal systems.

Jacobi Kohu-Morris (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) was selected to receive $60,000 to pursue an LLM in the United Kingdom, focusing on jurisprudence, legal history, constitutional theory, and advanced private law. Jacobi is a junior barrister at Shortland Chambers and has a strong research background in te Tiriti o Waitangi and tikanga Māori.

Rhianna Morar (Ngāti Porou, Tapuika) was selected to received $60,000 to undertake an LLM in the United Kingdom, specialising in administrative and constitutional law. Her research explores the right to equality in litigation against the Crown, with a focus on public law doctrines that underpin Aotearoa New Zealand’s legal system.

Nerys Udy (Ngāi Tahu) was selected to receive $60,000 to pursue an LLM in the United States, examining how legal theory can inform the confluence of tikanga Māori and settler law. Nerys, a junior barrister at Thorndon Chambers, has acted in cases involving human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, and indigenous law.

Borrin Foundation Te Pae Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship

The Te Pae Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship is designed to support outstanding law graduates facing financial or personal barriers in pursuing postgraduate study. This year, the Borrin Foundation is awarding a total of $84,000 to two scholars, enabling them to advance their research in criminal justice and human rights.

Janielee Avia was selected to receive $64,000 to undertake postgraduate legal study in the United Kingdom, researching Pasifika criminal justice perspectives, practices, and prison models. Janielee, a Solicitor and Crown Prosecutor from Wellington, aims to explore how Pasifika knowledge can inform criminal justice reform and prison alternatives.

Daniel Kirby was selected to receive $20,000 to pursue a Master of Laws (LLM) at the University of Cambridge, focusing on Criminal Law, Human Rights, and Jurisprudence. Daniel, originally from Nelson has worked as a Judges’ Clerk and junior barrister, and has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving New Zealand’s criminal justice system.

Travel and Learning Awards

Travel and Learning Awards are designed to support individual members of New Zealand's legal community in seizing opportunities to learn from others, build networks, and explore innovative ideas. By facilitating travel and participation in professional development activities, these awards aim to foster the exchange of knowledge and the development of relationships that can enrich the legal profession in Aotearoa New Zealand.

In the most recent funding round, the Borrin Foundation has granted a total of three Travel and Learning Awards, enabling them to engage in diverse learning experiences internationally.

Nathan Cooper - $10,000 
To travel to the USA, where he will build connections with legal academics and practitioners to explore the emerging field of climate-conscious lawyering. His research will examine how legal education can adapt to the challenges of climate change.

Shea Esterling - $10,000 
To conduct research in International Dark Sky Places in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work will evaluate dark sky governance and indigenous rights, with a focus on integrating mātauranga Māori into future legal frameworks.

George Sabonadière - $8,170
To travel to Frankfurt, Germany, to collaborate with researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory. His research will compare British and German socio-legal traditions and examine their relevance to colonised legal systems in Brazil and New Zealand.

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