Benjamin Christy

With its leading domestic and international reputation and experts on our legal system, I knew that I could tap into such expertise and leverage the relationships from my undergraduate studies, take the opportunity to teach from day one, and seek scholarship funding, to make it work for me.

I think there’s a belief that New Zealanders need to travel overseas to pursue a PhD. But I’ve always believed that if your aim is to research and develop law for Aotearoa New Zealand, then there is no better place to find experts who are doing just that than here in Auckland. Developing and using your networks to mix with domestic scholars and practitioners, teaching our lawyers of tomorrow, and researching our system from on the ground, with the ability to disseminate for local impact, cannot be understated. That’s not to mention the plenty of international connections, conferences and opportunities the Law School and faculty can offer for you to experience the world while representing and showcasing New Zealand top law school’s talent on the world stage.

The genuine compassion and specialist expertise of the Auckland Law School staff has really been key in supporting the early months of my doctoral studies and I have no doubt will be critical to my successful completion.

I have been very fortunate in my first year of doctoral studies to be selected for the Auckland Law’s Schools place on the Mike Moore Congressional Internship Programme. This means at the end of 2024, just after the United States presidential election, I will be traveling to Washington DC to pursue a two month internship at the US Capitol. This incredible opportunity will enable me to better understand the United States political system and see first-hand how their constitutional system engages with the protection of fundamental human rights.

My PhD will give me an exceptional grounding in Aotearoa New Zealand’s human rights law, an area in which I wish to continue working long after my studies at Auckland conclude. With any luck and my Auckland doctorate in hand, I hope to end up in a combination of professional and academic human rights practice throughout my career.

Auckland Law School’s PhD programme is a vibrant community drawing both international and domestic students. New Zealanders from any of our law schools should seriously consider adding Auckland to their doctoral studies list.