New Zealand (3)

I was delighted to be selected as a Pegasus Scholar in 2024. I was placed in the Constitutional and Human Rights (CHuR) team at Crown Law Office (CLO). CLO provides legal advice and representation to the government of New Zealand in matters affecting the executive government particularly criminal, public and administrative law.

My line manager in CHuR was keen to ensure that the scholarship lived up to my expectations and asked whether I would like to get involved with the other teams and the type of cases I wished to observe and work on. My practice at the Bar in the UK includes crime and therefore I was keen to observe criminal cases and speak to the criminal lawyers at CLO this was arranged almost immediately. Prior to starting my placement, I travelled around New Zealand, exploring the North Island, South Island and Stewart Island. I became increasingly interested in the Treaty of Waitangi and Waitangi Tribunals and I am grateful that the Treaty team at CLO welcomed me with open arms: I attended their weekly meetings, team away day and training sessions (as well as some of their homes, having been invited over for dinner and drinks).

My time at CLO surpassed my expectations. My first week involved a drinks reception at the Supreme Court with several Supreme Court judges, clerks (the equivalent of judicial assistants in the UK), colleagues and a fellow Pegasus Scholar who was placed with Stout Street Chambers. Over the course of three months, I observed cases in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. I undertook research and drafted documents, including submissions in respect of a long standing extradition case and a memorandum for the Solicitor General on whether a second inquest should be ordered.

Each hearing or case would draw my attention to similarities and differences between the legal system in England and Wales and that in New Zealand. One difference is that there is a much greater focus on written submissions in New Zealand. The oral hearings I observed focused on key points or additional information and did not involve taking the judge(s) through the written submissions in detail. This saved a significant amount of court time. For Supreme Court cases, the written submissions from parties are published on the website and I think this is something we should adopt in the UK. Having such documents readily available enables people of all levels (including students) to easily read and learn from high quality submissions.

Within CLO, there is a strong focus on improving your legal knowledge and skills. This includes frequent training sessions within the office, for instance on pleadings and theory of cases and giving effective legal advice. As well as attending those training sessions, CLO arranged for me to attend a tour of Parliament, a talk by Justice Miller (a Supreme Court judge) and Daniel Kalderimis KC regarding appellate advocacy and the Government Legal Network Conference.

The Government Legal Network Conference began with a waiata (a traditional Māori song) and a showing of a video made for the opening of Tākina (Wellington’s Convention and Exhibition Centre where the event was held). I found the video very moving and felt so privileged to be present at that conference (the video can be found here: youtube.com/watch?v=J-xbrq1B_vQ). At the conference, there were talks on a variety of topics and the speakers included the Solicitor General, Deputy Public Service Commissioner and Executive Director for the Justice Sector (Ministry of Justice).

My clerks at Six Pump Court were supportive of me making the most of my time in New Zealand and so my three month placement became a five month adventure. My partner came with me and before I started at CLO, we bought a campervan which we lived and travelled in for several weeks. Highlights of my trip include sandboarding at Te Paki sand dunes, hiking the Mueller Hut route and looking for kiwis on Kapiti Island.

I will always look back on my time at CLO with very fond memories and I am extremely grateful to the Pegasus Scholarship Trust and CLO for the opportunity. The exposure to human rights law and different types of government work inspired me to work towards incorporating these areas into my practice in the UK.

I am extremely grateful to the Pegasus Scholarship Trust for the opportunity to immerse myself in the legal system in New Zealand. I was placed at Crown Law Office, which provides legal advice and representation to the government of New Zealand in matters affecting the executive government. I spent most of my time working in the Constitutional and Human Rights team, dealing with cases concerning breaches of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, extradition and inquests.

I thoroughly enjoyed observing and working alongside impressive and inspiring lawyers and discussing the differences and similarities between the legal system in New Zealand and that in the UK. I found the cases incredibly interesting, and this experience motivated me to include human rights and different types of government work in my practice in the UK.

Amy Taylor
Six Pump Court Chambers