Feminist Judgment Projects: New Zealand

The Feminist Judgments Project Aotearoa reimagines and rewrites judicial decisions from both a feminist and mana wahine perspective. Mana wahine involves the use of Maori values, meaning that the rewritten judgments from this perspective recognise the unique challenges facing Maori women. The 25 rewritten judgments cover three broad subject areas: rights, equality and relationality civil rights; land and natural resources customary rights and crime. They have been published in: Elisabeth McDonald, Rhonda Powell, Mamari Stephens and Rosemary Hunter (eds), Feminist Judgments of Aotearoa New Zealand – Te Rino: A Two-Stranded Rope (Hart Publishing, 2017).

Available Extracts:

• Rosemary Hunter, Mamari Stephens, Elisabeth McDonald and Rhonda Powell, ‘Introducing the Feminist and Mana Wahine Judgments’ in Elisabeth McDonald, Rhonda Powell, Mamari Stephens and Rosemary Hunter (eds), Feminist Judgments of Aotearoa New Zealand (Hart Publishing, 2017) 25

Reviews:

• Kathryn Stanchi, Bridget Crawford and Linda Berger, Australian Feminist Law Journal 245

• Julie Timmins, ‘Blind Justice: Reimagining a Mana Wahine Legal System’, The Spinoff (online), 9 January 2018

• Caroline Hickman, ‘From Tempting Idea to Weighty Tome’, LawTalk (online), 1 December 2017

• Bridgette Toy-Cronin, [2017] 1: New Zealand Women’s Law Journal 192

• Kcasey McLoughlin (2018) 43(2) Alternative Law Journal 146

Commentary/Other Resources:

• Elisabeth McDonald and Paulette Benton-Greig, ‘Accessing Court Files as a Feminist Endeavour: Reflections on “Feminist Judgments of Aotearoa – Te Rino: A Two-Stranded Rope”’ (2018) Onati Socio-Legal Series (forthcoming)

• Rhonda Powell, ‘Showing Judges how to Walk the Walk: The Feminist Judgments Project Aotearoa’ (Conference Paper delivered at ‘Resistance, Backlash and Power: Gender Equality and Feminist New Practice in EU and Global Discourse’, Christchurch, 1 April 2016)

• Elisabeth McDonald, Rhonda Powell, Ursula Cheer, Annick Masselot and Natalie Baird, ‘Rewriting Judgments – Feminism in Action’ (Panel Discussion, University of Canterbury, 2016)

• Lynn Freeman, Interview with Professor Rosemary Hunter (Radio New Zealand, 22 February 2016): Feminist Judges: Could Feminist Improve Judicial Decision-making

• Steven Day, Interview with Lisa Yarwood (New Zealand Law Commission, 10 May 2018): ‘Law Commission Adviser Helps Examine Gender Bias in Legal Judgments’

• Rhonda Powell, ‘Launching the Feminist Judgments Collection’ Canterbury Tales 24(3) April 2018, 1, 3

• NZ Law Commission Podcast, ‘Law Commission Legal Advisor Helps Examine Gender Bias in judgments’ May 2018

• Rhonda Powell, ‘Women Outnumber Men in the law. So why Does Gender Bias Persist?’ on 21 February 2018 (the Press, Dominion Post, Stuff)

• Will Harvey, ‘#metoo: Are NZ Judges Failing to Listen to Women?’ (The Press and Stuff) on 16 March 2018, as well as a mention in the editorial.

• Tom Furley, RNZ Morning Report, 22 March 2018