Join Justice Kiri Tahana, Stacey Shortall and Maria Sopoaga as they introduce this online wānanga for rangatahi interested in finding out more about careers in the law. Justice Kiri Tahana is a Judge of the High Court, sitting in Auckland. Justice Tahana graduated with an LLB(Hons) and a BA (in Māori and Political Science) from Victoria University of Wellington. Justice Tahana has worked at Gilbert & Tobin in Sydney, at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, as Senior Legal Counsel at the Commerce Commission and as Senior Director, Legal Counsel at Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (du) in the United Arab Emirates. In 2017, Justice Tahana joined the partnership of Kāhui Legal in Rotorua, becoming Managing Partner in 2019. Through this work she gained extensive experience in commercial, corporate (including regulatory and competition) law and litigation experience, along with considerable expertise in advising on matters relating to te Tiriti o Waitangi. Justice Tahana's iwi are Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Makino and Tapuika (Te Arawa). Stacey Shortall is a partner at MinterEllisonRuddWatts and one of New Zealand's top lawyers. Stacey graduated with a B.Com./LLB from Victoria University of Wellington and obtained a Master of Laws from the University of Alberta, before spending 11 years working as a litigator for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison in New York. While practising there, she became involved in pro bono work, volunteering in women’s prisons as well as with domestic violence victims, refugee women fleeing abuse, and impoverished mothers seeking to have their children returned from foster care. At MERW, Stacey established the Who Did You Help Today Charitable Trust and initiated several projects designed to create social change. Stacey has been recognised as a leading lawyer in New Zealand by the Chambers Global Guide, the Legal 500, Legal Media Group, and NZ Lawyer. She has received numerous other awards, including most recently the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to the law and the community. Maria is a senior solicitor in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Litigation & Dispute Resolution team in Wellington. She graduated with a BA/LLB from the University of Auckland in 2018 and leads the firm’s pro bono assistance of WhoDidYouHelpToday’s Mother’s Project in Wellington. In 2019 she was the inaugural recipient of the Centre for Legal Innovation's Young Legalpreneurs Scholarship for New Zealand and was named by NZ Lawyer as a Rising Star in 2020. Maria was again recognised in 2021 as one of NZ Lawyer’s most influential lawyers and received ILANZ’s Community Contribution Award in 2021. She currently serves on the National New Lawyers Group and the Executive Committee of the Pacific Lawyers Association.

Leilani Taula is a former Judges' Clerk in the Wellington High Court. Before working at the High Court and graduating from Victoria University of Wellington with a BA/LLB(Hons), Leilani worked at the Treasury, as Law Clerk for Matthew Sherwood King, a Summer Clerk at MinterEllisonRuddWatts, a Contract Law Tutor and Pasifika Engagement Advisor for the Faculty of Law. Leilani is passionate about supporting pasifika youth succeed through law school and in the legal community. She has recently taken up a role as a Prosecutor at Kayes Fletcher Walker in Manukau, South Auckland.

Virtual kōrero with District Court Judge, Judge Ida Malosi and Isabella Ieremia Judge Ida Malosi is the Principal Youth Court Judge for New Zealand. After graduating from Victoria University of Wellington she established an all Māori and Pasifika women legal practice in South Auckland—King Alofivae Malosi. In 2002, she became New Zealand’s first female Pasifika Judge when she was appointed to the Family Court, where she worked with her Māori Youth Court colleagues to establish Rangatahi Courts. She also served as Samoa's first Samoan female Supreme Court Judge between May 2013 and July 2014, where she established the Family Court and the Family Violence Court and implemented judicial settlement conferences. In 2015, the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration awarded the Rangatahi and Pasifika Courts its Award for Excellence in Judicial Administration. Isabella Ieremia is a Pasifika Arts Advocate, studying Law and Arts at the University of Auckland. Isabella advocates for greater access to high-quality art for Pasifika people and other minority groups - to ignite positive change. At 19, Isabella was the assistant producer for ‘The Guerilla Collection’ - bringing Pasifika artists together to create new work, and this year she worked as the assistant producer on ‘Upu’ - a collection of poetry from Oceania presented by Silo Theatre. Isabella was selected as one of the Y25 YWCA finalists for 2020. Alongside this work, Isabella has balanced being a Summer Clerk at Bell Gully, and Research Assistant and Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Auckland.

Tamahou Thoms has recently returned to Kāhui Legal from the University of Canterbury where he will graduate in May 2022 with a BA/LLB. After a summer clerkship with Kāhui Legal in 2019, Tamahou is excited to return and keen to work with whānau, hapū, and iwi to find the best solutions tailored to them. Tamahou is interested in the areas of law concerning tikanga, Māori land, the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly pre and post Treaty settlement matters, Waitangi Tribunal inquiries and governance matters. Rhianna Morar is a Law Clerk at Kāhui legal. Rhianna graduated with a BA/LLB(Hons) at Victoria University of Wellington. During her time at university, Rhianna was Campaigns and Advocacy officer of the VUW Feminist Law Society, a member of the executive and Tumuaki Wahine of Ngā Rangahautira and volunteered at Community Law. She also worked a variety of jobs including Educations Officer, Acting Academic Vice-President, and Welfare Vice-President of VUWSA and Summer Clerk/Intern for the Crown Law Office, Te Amokura consultants, the Law Commission, and Kāhui Legal. Rhianna received various accolades at university, including First in Class for the LLB(Hons Dissertation), and has been published in the Māori Law Review, New Zealand Women's Law Journal, Thomson Reuters, and the Victoria University Law Review.

Stu Doig is a Senior Legal Counsel at New Zealand Rugby and has expertise in providing commercial legal advice to all teams within New Zealand Rugby. Stu studied an LLB at the University of Canterbury. After graduating, Stu played rugby for mid-canterbury from 1994-1999. Stu returned to the law in 2002, when he worked as General Counsel for Meat and Wool New Zealand but found his way back to Rugby in 2007 when he worked as Legal Counsel to the New Zealand Rugby Union. Maria is a senior solicitor in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Litigation & Dispute Resolution team in Wellington. She graduated with a BA/LLB from the University of Auckland in 2018 and leads the firm’s pro bono assistance of WhoDidYouHelpToday’s Mother’s Project in Wellington. In 2019 she was the inaugural recipient of the Centre for Legal Innovation's Young Legalpreneurs Scholarship for New Zealand and was named by NZ Lawyer as a Rising Star in 2020. Maria was again recognised in 2021 as one of NZ Lawyer’s most influential lawyers and received ILANZ’s Community Contribution Award in 2021. She currently serves on the National New Lawyers Group and the Executive Committee of the Pacific Lawyers Association.