Introducing Priscilla

Priscilla Agiius (Samoa, Italy, Malta) is an alumnus of Victoria University Te Herenga Waka, graduating with an LLB (Hons) degree in 2004. She was admitted to the bar in 2004 and has extensive public sector experience having worked as a policy analyst for the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua, as legal counsel for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, and most recently as in-house Legal Counsel for New Zealand Police Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa. She also has a wide breadth of litigation skills during her time in private practice, where she specialised in constitutional and public law.

Priscilla brings with her a wide range of beneficial relationships with senior Pacific leaders as a founding trustee on the Fale Malae Trust and as a long-standing member of the Pasifika Komiti of Victoria University Te Herenga Waka. Priscilla also brings a diverse multi-cultural background to the PJSP team as well as exceptional legal and governance skills.

Access to justice in the outer islands

Kiribati

In September members of the PJSP team, with Ms Beiare Betero (Administration Manager of the Kiribati Court) travelled to South Tarawa of Kiribati, and to the outer islands of Ribono, Abaiang, North Tarawa, Maiana, and Kiritimati Island.

Focusing on supporting the court’s commitment to access to justice, PJSP engaged in talanoa and provided initial training with a wide range of justice actors as well as Magistrates and court staff, such as the Office of the People’s Lawyer Services, the Kiribati Women and Children Support Centre, and the Domestic Violence and Sexual Offices Unit of the Police.

Vanuatu

In October members of the PJSP team, with Wendy Raptigh (Vanuatu Supreme Court Judicial Educator), embarked on a mission to consult with stakeholders and communities to enhance justice provisions and address women's justice needs.

The team visited the islands of Tanna, Pentecost, Espiritu Santo, Ambrym, and Malekula, engaging with Island Court staff, Authorized Persons, police, community-based justice providers and remote communities. The insights gained will play a crucial role in helping the Vanuatu Court best address women's justice needs and strengthen grassroots justice pathways and services for women. By understanding the unique challenges faced by remote communities and incorporating their perspectives, the aim is to create a more inclusive and effective justice system that caters to the needs of all individuals, particularly women.

Mentoring programme – new mentor

PJSP is honored to have retired District Court Judge Dale Clarkson join the mentoring programme. Judge Clarkson is highly experienced in family dispute and has presented papers locally and internationally to a wide range of groups, including psychologists, lawyers, judges, law students and others involved in family law. She has authored publications in the New Zealand Family Law Journal and the International Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.

As an experienced mediator, and having completed Advanced Mediation training at Bond University, Dale was a founding faculty member of the Institute of Judicial Studies Mediation Faculty from 1999 until 2007 – where she designed the programme and trained judged at all levels in mediation and settlement conference skills. 

In 2018 Judge Clarkson completed the intensive mediation training for Cross-Border and Cross-Cultural Disputes and holds international qualifications from MiKK (International Mediation Centre for Family Conflict and Child Abduction), one of the few recognised organisations which facilitates Hague Convention mediations.

Judge Clarkson is Chair of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal- Chairperson since its inception in 2008 and inaugural president of the New Zealand Association of Women Judges. Judge Clarkson cites equal rights and family as two of her strongest core values.

Supporting women empowerment in the Pacific

PJSP Technical Advisor Dr Carolyn Graydon is facilitating consultation with women judges and magistrates across the Pacific region. With support of Chief Justices, the dialogue aims to address the gender imbalance in many Pacific judiciaries by:

• informing judicial leaders of common issues across the region
• providing a resource to guide the work of the courts to support women's empowerment
• informing PJSP’s work supporting professional development and mentoring for women in the justice sector
• supporting development of—and inform—a Pacific chapter of the International Association of Women Judges.