Mele Tuilotolava

Last updated

Mele Tuilotolava, also known as Mary, is a Tongan-New Zealand lawyer. She was the first Pacific Islander to graduate in law from a New Zealand university. [1]

Tuilotolava graduated in law in 1982. In 1989 she opened her own legal practice in Manukau, Auckland, focusing on family court work and representing children in matters related to their care and protection, justice and guardianship. [2] One of her more high-profile cases was in 2009, when she was the defence lawyer for Lisa Kuka during her trial for the neglect of daughter Nia Glassie. [3]

Tuilotolava has also been active in mental health related issues. She has been a member of the National Ethics Committee for Health and Disability and was a Trustee of Ta Pasefika Primary Health Organisation, a major provider of health services in South Auckland and Auckland. until 2010. [2]

Tuilotolava was a member of the Pacific Peoples Focus Group at the Ministry of Justice for three years, finishing in 2002. [2] She has provided legal clinics at the Mangere Citizens’ Advice Bureau and on radio talkback shows. She is active in the Auckland District Law Society and is a member of the Pacific Lawyers Association and Manukau Lawyers Association. [4]

Tuilotolava has also been involved in a number of other Pacific Island community groups including the National Council of Tongan Women, the Tongan Women's Association, and the Auckland Pacific Island Community Radio Trust. [2]

Related Research Articles

Prostitution in New Zealand, brothel-keeping, living off the proceeds of someone else's prostitution, and street solicitation are legal in New Zealand and have been since the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 came into effect. Coercion of sex workers is illegal. The 2003 decriminalisation of brothels, escort agencies and soliciting, and the substitution of a minimal regulatory model, created worldwide interest; New Zealand prostitution laws are now some of the most liberal in the world.

Sian Elias New Zealand judge, and 12th Chief Justice of New Zealand

Dame Sian Seerpoohi Elias is a New Zealand former Government official, who served as the 12th Chief Justice of New Zealand, and was therefore the most senior member of the country's judiciary. She was the presiding judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand and on several occasions acted as Administrator of the Government.

Abortion in New Zealand is legal within the framework of the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, which permits the termination of pregnancy for up to birth and removed abortion from the Crimes Act 1961. After 20 weeks, abortion is permitted only if a health practitioner deems it "clinically appropriate" and consults at least one other health practitioner. Abortion is illegal only if a person who is not a licensed health practitioner procures or performs it. In March 2022, New Zealand implemented explicit "safe access zones" by legislation around abortion clinics and/or hospitals.

Mark Gosche New Zealand politician

Mark James Gosche is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party. He was born in Auckland to Samoan parents, and has been active in New Zealand's Pacific Islander community.

Ann Batten is an Anglican priest, peace activist and a former New Zealand politician. She has been a member of various political parties and represented New Zealand First and Mauri Pacific in Parliament.

Mai Chen New Zealand constitutional lawyer

Mai Chen is a New Zealand and Harvard 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. Chen is the Managing Partner of Chen Palmer Public and Employment Law Specialists, board director of BNZ bank and an adjunct professor at the University of Auckland School of Law. Having served previously in the University's Business School. Chen is also the Chair of New Zealand Asian Leaders, SUPERdiverse WOMEN and the Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business. She is married to Dr John Sinclair and the two have one son.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, formerly called the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, is an umbrella group of American civil rights interest groups.

Carmel Sepuloni New Zealand politician

Carmel Jean Sepuloni is a New Zealand politician and a member of parliament for the Labour Party. She was first elected to Parliament following the 2008 general election as a list member, becoming New Zealand's first MP of Tongan descent. In the 2011 general election, Sepuloni won the seat of Waitakere on the official count with an eleven-vote majority over incumbent National MP Paula Bennett, who subsequently requested a judicial recount, which resulted in Sepuloni losing her seat in Parliament. She returned to Parliament in 2014 as the member for Kelston.

Nandi Glassie Cook Islands politician

Nandi Tuaine Glassie was a Cook Islands politician who served as a Cabinet Minister. He was a member of the Cook Islands Party.

Jonathan Paul Temm was a New Zealand barrister. He served as president of the New Zealand Law Society from 2010 until 2013.

Tony Ford (judge) New Zealand judge

Anthony David Ford was a New Zealand lawyer and jurist. He served as a judge of the Employment Court of New Zealand and Chief Justice of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Asenati Taylor New Zealand politician

Le-Aufa'amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor is a former New Zealand politician and a member of the House of Representatives. She is a member of the New Zealand First Party.

Jenny Salesa New Zealand politician

Jennifer Teresia Salesa is a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party who has served as a Member of Parliament since 2014. She was first elected as MP for Manukau East, and after its abolition in 2020 won the replacement electorate of Panmure-Ōtāhuhu. She served as a Cabinet Minister in the Sixth Labour Government as Minister for Building and Construction, Minister of Customs and Minister for Ethnic Communities from 2017 until 6 November 2020.

Pacific Media Network Radio station

The Pacific Media Network is a New Zealand radio network and pan-Pasifika national broadcasting network, currently owned and operated by the National Pacific Radio Trust and partly funded by the Government. It includes the PMN 531 radio network, PMN News and Auckland-only broadcast station PMN NIU combined are accessible to an estimated 92 percent of the country's Pacific population. The network targets both first-generation Pacific migrants and New Zealand-born people with Pacific heritage. As of 2009, it was the only specifically pan-Pacific broadcaster in New Zealand.

ʻOfa Guttenbeil-Likiliki is a filmmaker and women's rights activist in Tonga and the Pacific. Guttenbeil-Likiliki has urged equality in women's economic and educational empowerment, in their political involvement and representation, in land reform, protection from violence, and has advocated for the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women for over a decade. On 9 March 2015, her advocacy came to fruition when the Tongan government agreed that it was prepared to ratify the convention. Guttenbeil-Likiliki was twice nominated for the U.S. Secretary of State International Women of Courage Award (2012,2013) recognising her work in advocating for women and children's rights in Tonga.

Deborah Chambers

Deborah Anne, Lady Chambers is a New Zealand Queen's Counsel specialising in relationship property and trusts law. She was married to the New Zealand Supreme Court judge, Sir Robert Chambers from 2004 until his death in 2013.

The 2008 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II in her right as Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of the New Zealand government, to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders, and to celebrate the passing of 2007 and the beginning of 2008. They were announced on 31 December 2007.

Tupou Neiufi is a New Zealand para-swimmer who represented her country at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She won a silver medal at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships and gold at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.

Sharon Shea New Zealand chairperson, health administrator and lawyer

Sharon Norma Shea is a New Zealand chairperson. She has various governance roles and holds board memberships, mainly in the health sector. She is the current chairperson of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board and the co-chairperson of the establishment board of the Māori Health Authority.

References

  1. Schultz and Shaw, Ulrike and Gisela (2003). Women in the World's Legal Professions. Hart Publishing. p. 126.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "First Annual Report to the Minister of Health from the National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability Support Services Ethics" (PDF). December 2002. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  3. "Nia Glassie's mother to appeal further". Radio New Zealand. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  4. "St John's College Trust Board". St John's College Trust Board. Retrieved 19 February 2018.