Alumni lead firearm reform and eco research

New Zealand’s firearms legislation is set to come under scrutiny, with prominent legal scholar and University of Auckland alumnus Alexander Gillespie awarded $116,072 to investigate gun laws.

Gillespie, who holds both LLB and LLM degrees with Honours from the University, will investigate what best practice firearms legislation should look like to determine what revisions should and should not be made to better protect New Zealanders from firearm-related violence.

Selected as the 2024 Borrin Foundation Justice Fellow, Gillespie’s project comes at a crucial time for the country with divided political opinions and public uncertainty about the direction gun laws could and should head in.

With 19 books to his name and a reputation as a leading authority in the laws of war and firearms regulation, Gillespie, who is currently a professor at the University of Waikato, will dive deeply into the current laws and international best practices, ensuring that New Zealand’s approach to firearms legislation is both robust and evidence-based.

The fellowship is intended to give outstanding legal professionals with at least ten years’ experience in the law, the opportunity to design their own inquiry or project plan to build on their expertise and allow them to pursue new directions that they would not otherwise be able to pursue in the course of their day-to-day work.

In addition to Gillespie’s fellowship, the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation has announced the recipients of its Travel and Learning Awards, which provide legal professionals with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and networks.

Among the six awardees is Auckland Law alumna Marie Doole, who will receive $8,580 to travel within New Zealand and to Australia to undertake research on the management of the risk of regulatory capture in environmental regulatory systems.

The current round of applications for the Borrin Foundation Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Postgraduate Scholarship, the Borrin Foundation Te Pae Tawhiti Postgraduate Scholarship, and the Travel and Learning Awards close at 12pm September 9, 2024.

Information on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found
here: https://www.borrinfoundation.nz/fellowshipsawards/