President: Karlene O’Halloran | Vice-President: Josie McNaught
The focus of 2024 was celebrating, honouring and continuing the legacy of AWLA in its 40th year.
In February, Justice O’Gorman spoke at the President’s Function about her legal career and pathway to the bench.
In May, AWLA considered and signed the Coalition for the Safety of Women & Children and Anti-Violence Action’s open letter to the Minister of Justice urging him to introduce legislation making stalking illegal. In November 2024, the Government announced that it would do so, making stalking illegal with a maximum penalty of up to five years imprisonment.
AWLA provided media commentary published in Capital Letter regarding gender equity in the legal profession, including the efficacy of the NZLS Gender Equality Charter and the NZBA Gender Equitable Engagement and Instruction Policy.
AWLA formally celebrated its 40th anniversary in June with a dinner and a panel discussion with six AWLA Presidents from each decade, including Helen Melrose (1984 and 1985), Phillipa Muir (1988, 1989 and 1990), Lady Deborah Chambers KC (2002), Rachael Reed KC (2011 and 2012), Laura Carter (2020 and 2021), with Karlene O’Halloran (2024 and 2025) chairing the panel.
AWLA supported Te Hunga Roia Māori o Aotearoa’s open letter regarding the compulsory inclusion of tikanga Māori within law degrees offered by New Zealand universities. In June, AWLA filed written submissions to the Regulations Review Committee in respect of the Professional Examinations in Law (Tikanga Māori Requirements) Amendment Regulations 2022, urging the Committee to not make a recommendation that the Regulations supporting tikanga Māori being taught at universities be amended or revoked.
In July, AWLA held a Meet the High Court Judges panel with Chief High Court Judge, her Honour Justice Fitzgerald, her Honour Justice Hinton (now Acting Judge of the Court of Appeal), her Honour Justice Peters, and her Honour Justice Wilkinson-Smith. Their Honours shared insights into their journey to the bench and reflected on milestones in the profession – both personal and legal.
In August, AWLA, along with over 170 lawyers and legal academics, signed an open letter speaking out against the New Zealand Herald publishing a Hobson’s Pledge front page advertisement in relation to customary marine titles as being likely to deceive, mislead or confuse news readers and fuel racism against Māori.
AWLA held an Understanding Menopause Workshop facilitated by Robyn Fausett RGN in September. AWLA supports breaking stigma around the (peri)menopause and barriers to information-sharing is a way to start reducing the negative effects of menopause on women and on workplaces who might lose valuable employees. By starting an open conversation AWLA intended to encourage employers to take steps to ensure their workplace is menopause friendly and encourage women to feel free to share their experiences and ask for understanding or assistance from their employers when required. The workshop was open to both employees and employers, women and men as the committee felt menopause should not just be
treated as a women’s issues and is important for everyone to understand what it means for women and workplaces.
In October, AWLA held the annual Dame Silvia Cartwright lecture presented by Professor Khylee Quince, Dean of AUT Law School and Professor Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren, Supreme Court Justice of Samoa and Dean of Waikato Law School who spoke of breaking boundaries and exploring diverse law careers for women.
In November, AWLA wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister and Ministers of Parliament concerning the health and safety of wāhine and tamariki living in Gloriavale Christian Community following the Government’s abandonment of the Cabinet-mandated joint agency response to work on several key welfare outcomes for members of Gloriavale.
AWLA continued its annual gathering of partnership statistics of medium to large law firms. The purpose of this is to provide a metric for helping to understand the progression of women in law firms.
AWLA released its 2024 survey on parental leave entitlements offered by law firms in Auckland. The purpose of the survey is to increase transparency and discussion around parental leave entitlements and provide a resource for women and carers searching for potential employment opportunities to feel more confident in their negotiations.
