Borrin

This project supported the indigenisation of the LLB at the University of Canterbury by developing an online repository of Māori-focused legal resources. The intern helped compile and organise materials to strengthen Māori perspectives in legal education and support future lawyers to engage meaningfully with te ao Māori and Māori legal knowledge.

The interns contributed to a research project exploring a new area of law, visual jurisprudence, which is a legal theory that considers how visual legal information affects people's perceptions of the law and its impact on them and their communities. The research focused on the aesthetic and moral implications of Indigenous peoples' visualisation of their law, legal culture, and experiences of coloniality and survivance.

Through the 2022/2023 Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Legal Research Internship, two Māori students explored the growing recognition of tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi within New Zealand law and policy. Guided by Associate Professor Linda Te Aho and Te Hunga Rōia Māori, the interns delved into case law, legislation, and iwi knowledge to examine how foundational Māori concepts—like Te Mana o te Awa and Te Oranga o te Taiao—are influencing legal and environmental frameworks.