Legal Research Foundation Visiting Scholar - Jacinta Ruru

Recognising Indigenous ancestors and kinship in law as a reconciliation strategy for connective sustainable governance.

This lecture considers how the legal personality of a forest, river and mountain mark a significant positive transformation for Aotearoa New Zealand’s environmental and constitutional laws. These laws provide a connective example of how western colonial law can positively forge a bridge to Māori laws.  As our country now moves ahead with major resource management and conservation law reform, how can we further learn from iwi to create more innovative legal solutions for knowing and caring for lands and waters in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Jacinta Ruru FRSNZ (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui) is a Professor of Law at the University of Otago where she holds an inaugural University Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chair.  She holds national awards for research and teaching and has published extensively on Indigenous’ peoples’ rights, interests and responsibilities to own and care for lands and waters.   

_{Recognising Indigenous ancestors and kinship in law as a reconciliation strategy for connective sustainable governance, student lecture}

_{Tikanga in our legal system, Waipapa Marae}