The New Zealand Law Society has elected its first ever president of Pacific Island descent, and its youngest.
Tiana Epati, a partner at Gisborne law firm Rishworth Wall & Mathieson, will officially take on the role in April next year.
The 43-year-old has no easy task ahead of her.
A Law Society survey released in May found one in five lawyers had been
sexually harassed in the workplace, and one in five had been bullied
within the past year.
The findings were highlighted again in The Bazley Report, released in
July, which revealed a culture of excessive drinking and sexual
harassment at law firm Russell McVeagh.
Ms Epati, who has worked as a criminal defence lawyer and an appeals
lawyer, said she was aware the privilege bestowed on her came with
enormous responsibility.
"The whole complaints process is currently under review, so what will be
really important for the next presidential term is looking very closely
at what those recommendations are and ensuring that whatever we put to
the council and to parliament for change has been well thought-out,
well-researched and considered.
"We really only have one chance to get this right, so we have to get it right."
Other challenges for lawyers included stress and anxiety, workplace
health and safety and diversity of all kinds and inclusion, she said.
"Diversity is wider than just gender. My vision for the society is to
lead culture-change by walking the talk. That means more than just me
being president, it means actually ensuring that every part of the
organisation has cultural competence."
Labour MP and former lawyer Kiritapu Allan described her election as a departure from the status quo.
"Tiana is the first Pasifika woman... she's the first brown person to be
elected. I just think it is an extreme indication of a cultural and
generational sea-tide and shift which I think the profession has been
really seeking.
"In light of the findings and the recommendations from the Bazley Report
earlier this year, younger members of the profession want to see things
change and I think Tiana embodies many of the principles and values
needed to do that. And, of course, we can proudly claim her in Gisborne
as a local-based practitioner."
Ms Epati grew up in Samoa and immigrated to New Zealand when she was 10.
She grew up in South Auckland, attended Auckland Girls Grammar and was
the only person in her year to go to Auckland Law School where she
completed her law degree.
She said her unique background would benefit her new role.
"I come from one of the smallest regions in the country, so I probably
have a unique provincial perspective, but I started in a large law firm
in Auckland and I worked in government for the Crown Law Office, so you
could say I have had one of the broadest contacts with the profession.
"For the last six years I've been a criminal defence lawyer working in
Gisborne where the population is 50 percent Māori. So a lot of my work
has been around championing the underdog and certainly talking a lot
about the importance of tikanga and cultural context when we come to the
criminal justice process."
Ms Epati will replace Kathryn Beck.
Her father Judge Semi Epati was New Zealand's first Pacific Island judge.
Join
Geezgo for free. Use Geezgo's end-to-end encrypted Chat with your
Closenets (friends, relatives, colleague etc) in personalized ways.>>
Post a Comment