This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) |
Mai Chen | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Taipei, Taiwan |
Spouse | Dr John Sinclair |
Children | 1 |
Occupation | Lawyer, Managing Law Partner and Non-Executive Director. |
Mai Chen is a New Zealand [1] and Harvard [2] educated lawyer with a professional and specialist focus in constitutional and administrative law, Waitangi tribunal and courts, human rights, white collar fraud and regulatory defence, judicial review, regulatory issues, education law, and public policy and law reform. [3] Chen is a barrister and holds an office in the Public Law Toolbox Chambers. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Auckland School of Law. [4] Having served previously in the university's Business School. [5] Chen is also the Chair of New Zealand Asian Leaders, SUPERdiverse WOMEN and the Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business. [6] She is married to Dr John Sinclair and the two have one son. [7]
Chen has featured in Forbes [8] magazine, TEDx [9] talks and the National Business Review [10] (NBR) and was a finalist for the New Zealander of the year award. [11]
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chen immigrated to New Zealand with her family at the age of six in 1970. Hers was the first Taiwanese family in the South Island of New Zealand[ citation needed ]. She studied at Otago Girls' High School, where she became a head girl, dux.[ citation needed ]
Chen attended the University of Otago (New Zealand) and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Honours degree (first class) in 1986. She was admitted to the bar in the same year. Chen was awarded several scholarships, including the William Georgetti Scholarship granted by the New Zealand Governor-General, the Sir Harold Barrowclough Scholarship and the Butterworths Travelling Scholarship. In 1987 Chen was awarded the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship to study at Harvard Law School. Chen graduated with her Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1988 and won the Irving Oberman Memorial Award for the best Human Rights thesis at Harvard Law School[ citation needed ]. Her thesis was on the Treaty of Waitangi. Following Harvard Law School, Chen was awarded the Ferguson Human Rights Fellowship, a scholarship granted by the Harvard Human Rights Programme to be a Fellow at the International Labour Office in Geneva working on United Nations' Women's Convention and the ILO Indigenous Peoples Convention.
The University of Otago invited Mai Chen to accept her Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws on 16 December 2023. The university also invited Mai to deliver the graduation address on this occasion. The awarding of Honorary Degrees is a centuries-old custom of universities whereby distinguished persons are promoted to the highest academic level in the university. Conferring an Honorary Degree is a recognition of the University of Otago's most outstanding graduates and those who have brought great credit to the university through their achievements. Areas of achievement include notable service to the university or community, eminence achieved in scholarship, or other areas considered worthy of recognition. The awarding of this Honorary Degree in 2023 is especially significant, as the Otago Faculty of Law celebrated its 150th anniversary. [12]
Chen interned at the United Nations' International Labour Office in Geneva in 1988. In 1989, Chen took up a lectureship at the law school at Victoria University of Wellington, and wrote her first book on the discrimination of women under the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. In 1990, she chaired a government review on the Policy of Excluding Women from Combat, and in 1992 she became the youngest senior lecturer in law in New Zealand at that time[ citation needed ]. In 1993, she co-authored Public Law in New Zealand with former Prime Minister Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC, which was published by Oxford University Press. In 1994, Chen became a lawyer at Russell McVeagh, but left after one year to co-found Chen Palmer alongside former New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC. [13]
Chen bought out Sir Geoffrey when he left to head the Law Commission. In 2013, Chen opened an Auckland office. Chen Palmer won Best Boutique Law Firm in 2010, and Best Public Law Firm in the New Zealand Law Awards from 2007 to 2011, and 2013, and was a finalist in the Employment Law Awards in 2011.
In September 2022, Chen left her role as Senior Partner of Chen Palmer to go to the Bar. [14]
In April 2015, Chen was appointed, as a director, to the Board of BNZ (Bank of New Zealand). [15] Chen is also chair on the People and Remuneration Committee, as well as sitting on the NZ Audit Committee and the Risk Committee.
Chen is an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland. [16] Prior to this, Chen was an adjunct professor in Commercial and Public Law at the University of Auckland Business School. Chen was also made an honorary lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington. Chen has also sat on the Trade for All Advisory Board, the Securities Commission of New Zealand, the Advisory Board of AMP Life Limited (NZ), the New Zealand Board of Trade and Enterprise's Beachheads Programme, the Asia New Zealand Foundation, the Royal NZ Ballet Board, and on the Wellington Polytechnic and Victoria University of Wellington Councils. She was President of the Harvard New Zealand Alumni Association (NZ) for eight years [ citation needed ]. Chen is a member of the New Zealand Law Society Public and Administrative Law Committee, and the New Zealand China Council.
In May 2015, Chen established the Superdiversity Institute on Law, Policy and Business, undertaking research into the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on discrimination law and policy, on electoral laws, Health and Safety legislation implementation and on parties in the Courts. Chen also established the New Zealand Asian Lawyers to increase an understanding of the issues and challenges, and to improve the contribution and practice, of Asian lawyers and Asian clients.
Chen is founder and Chair of the Superdiversity Institute, and was the founder and previous chair of New Zealand Asian Leaders, [17] that connects top Asian NZ lawyers, CEOs and emerging leaders with New Zealand companies doing business in Asia to enhance their success to help NZ Inc. She also helped to establish the Pacifica Leadership Academy at BEST Pacific Institute of Education, formerly led by Beatrice Faumuina. Chen is also the founder and President of New Zealand Asian Lawyers. Chen is the inaugural chair of Global Women, which is a not for profit charitable organisation for top women leaders in the public, private and not for profit sectors which mentors emerging leaders. Chen, as part of her pro-bono work, organises and hosts a number of seminars and events across Auckland to bring together the New Zealand's top legal specialists.
In July 2013, Chen also launched willtolive.co.nz, a low-cost provider of templated wills for young people. Chen has done a wide range of pro bono work, including for the Auckland Zoo, New Zealand Endometriosis Foundation and He Huarahi Tamariki (the school for Teenage Parents in Tawa). Chen has also provided pro bono advice to the Bilingual Leo Pacific Coalition. Chen was President of the Harvard Law School Alumni Association (New Zealand) for ten years[ citation needed ], and was a trustee of the Royal New Zealand Ballet Board for four and a half years.
From 1982 to 1986 Chen did voluntary work with street kids referred by the Department of Social Welfare, including the establishment of a Modern Dance Group for girls [ citation needed ].
Chen has previously sat on the Yvonne Smith Scholarship Committee which awards scholarships to women, including those who want to study post-graduate law. She also was a member of the selection panel for the New Zealander of the Year award in 2019.
2022 | NZL Most Influential Lawyer 2022 [18] |
2017 | Zonta Woman of the Biennium Award for 2016-2018 |
2017 | Finalist for 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year |
2016 | Top 10 finalist for 2016 New Zealander of the Year |
2016 | Global Diversity List Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life [19] |
2016 | Ranked Band 2 in Chambers Asia-Pacific Rankings |
2014 | Top 10 finalist New Zealander of the Year |
2013 | Awarded the Business Entrepreneur New Zealand Women of Influence Award [20] |
2012 | Awarded the Supreme Judges Panel Award and Professional Excellence Award at the New Zealand Chinese Business Elite Awards [21] |
2011 | Awarded Next Magazine's Business Woman of the Year [22] |
2009-2010 | Unlimited Magazine Top Influencers List |
2000 | Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management [23] |
2000 | Honorary Associate of the Auckland University of Technology |
1988 | Irving Oberman Memorial Award: Best Human Rights thesis at Harvard Law School. Topic: Treaty of Waitangi and Māori rights |
1987 | Outstanding Overseas Chinese Scholar. Awarded by the Government of Taiwan, Republic of China |
1981 | Otago Girls High School: Dux; Head Girl; Best All Round Student |
1980 | New Zealand Jaycees National Speech Champion (10 years after arriving in New Zealand with no English) |
The politics of New Zealand function within a framework of an independent unitary parliamentary representative democracy. The system of government is based on the Westminster system, and the legal system is modelled on the common law of England. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy in which King Charles III is the sovereign and head of state, while his prime minister serves as the head of government.
Victoria University of Wellington is a public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, commonly known as the Greens, is a green and left-wing political party in New Zealand. Like many green parties around the world, it has four pillars. The party's ideology combines environmentalism with left-wing and social-democratic economic policies, including well-funded and locally controlled public services within the confines of a steady-state economy. Internationally, it is affiliated with the Global Greens.
The Cabinet of New Zealand is the New Zealand Government's body of senior ministers, accountable to the New Zealand Parliament. Cabinet meetings, chaired by the prime minister, occur once a week; in them, vital issues are discussed and government policy is formulated. Cabinet is also composed of a number of committees focused on specific areas of governance and policy. Though not established by any statute, Cabinet has significant power in the New Zealand political system and nearly all bills proposed by Cabinet in Parliament are enacted.
Sir Geoffrey Winston Russell Palmer is a New Zealand lawyer, legal academic, and former politician, who was a member of Parliament from 1979 to 1990. He served as the 33rd prime minister of New Zealand for a little over a year, from August 1989 until September 1990, leading the Fourth Labour Government. As minister of justice from 1984 to 1989, Palmer was responsible for considerable reforms of the country's legal and constitutional framework, such as the creation of the Constitution Act 1986, New Zealand Bill of Rights, Imperial Laws Application Act, and the State Sector Act. He served as president of the New Zealand Law Commission, from 2005 to 2010.
Richard William Prebble is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament. Initially a member of the Labour Party, he joined the newly formed ACT New Zealand party under Roger Douglas in 1996, becoming its leader from 1996 to 2004.
Derek Francis Quigley is a New Zealand former politician. He was a prominent member of the National Party during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and was known for his support of free-market economics and trade liberalisation. Quigley left the National Party after clashing with its leadership, and later co-founded the ACT New Zealand party.
David Vernon Williams is a professor, and former deputy dean of the University of Auckland's Faculty of Law. He comes from the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand, and was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School.
The Royal Society Te Apārangi is an independent, statutory not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities.
New Zealand lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are some of the most extensive in the world. The protection of LGBT rights is advanced, relative to other countries in Oceania, and among the most liberal in the world, with the country being the first in the region and thirteenth in the world to enact same-sex marriage.
The Māori renaissance, as a turning point in New Zealand's history, describes a loosely defined period between 1970 and the early 2000s, in which Māori took the lead in turning around the decline of their culture and language that had been ongoing since the early days of European settlement. In doing so, social attitudes towards Māori among other New Zealanders also changed.
Auckland Law School is one of the eight faculties that make up the University of Auckland. The Faculty of Law is located at the City Campus, between Waterloo Quadrant and Eden Crescent. It is in close proximity to the Auckland High Court. In 2020, Auckland Law School ranked 50th in the world and best in New Zealand according to QS World University Rankings. The University of Auckland's Faculty of Law is the largest of its kind in New Zealand. It advertises experts in a variety of fields, including commercial, public, human rights and environmental law.
Immigration New Zealand, formerly the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS), is the agency within the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) that is responsible for border control, issuing travel visas and managing immigration to New Zealand.
Human rights in New Zealand are addressed in the various documents which make up the constitution of the country. Specifically, the two main laws which protect human rights are the New Zealand Human Rights Act 1993 and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. In addition, New Zealand has also ratified numerous international United Nations treaties. The 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State noted that the government generally respected the rights of individuals, but voiced concerns regarding the social status of the indigenous population.
Women in New Zealand are women who live in or are from New Zealand. Notably New Zealand was the first self-governing country in the world where women were entitled to vote. In recent times New Zealand has had many women in top leadership and government roles, including three female Prime Ministers, most recently Jacinda Ardern.
Superdiversity, or super-diversity, is a social science term and concept often said to have been coined by sociologist Steven Vertovec in a 2007 article in Ethnic and Racial Studies, but which he first used in a BBC article in 2005.
Camilla Vera Feslier Belich is a New Zealand lawyer and politician who became a Member of Parliament, representing the New Zealand Labour Party, in 2020.
Valmaine Toki is a New Zealand barrister and solicitor, and professor of law at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.
Andrew John Becroft is a New Zealand Jurist and Barrister. From 2016 until 2021 Becroft was Children's Commissioner. Prior to that, he practised community law, and was a District Court judge and principal judge of the Youth Court of New Zealand. Throughout his career Becroft has taken a specialist approach to dealing with youth and child offenders and been involved in many organisations and initiatives to support this. During his time as Children's Commissioner, Becroft developed strong public positions of monitoring and advocacy on a range of issues related to the safety of children.
Ema Maria Bargh is a New Zealand academic, and is Professor of Politics and Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help){{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help){{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help){{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help){{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)