Courts, tribunals and National Office will be closed from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April for Easter weekend.
New Zealanders are warned of scam text messages currently circulating that claim to be from the Ministry of Justice about overdue traffic fines. The Ministry does not include any links in our texts. Read more about Texts from Ministry of Justice
The Tribunal is administered by the Ministry of Justice and is completely separate from the Human Rights Commission, Privacy Commissioner, and Health and Disability Commissioner.
The Chairperson and Deputy Chairpersons are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice. Members of the Panel maintained by the Minister under s 101 of the Human Rights Act 1993 are appointed by the Minister. Claims are heard by the Chairperson and/or a Deputy Chairperson plus two panel members.
Appointments are based on knowledge or experience of issues likely to come before the Tribunal, such as:
human rights law
public administration
economic, employment or social issues
cultural issues.
Chairperson
Sarah Eyre
Sarah Eyre was appointed Chairperson of the Human Rights Review Tribunal in August 2022. Prior to that, Ms Eyre had been a Deputy Chairperson of the Tribunal since May 2019. Ms Eyre graduated from the University of Otago with a law degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Māori. Ms Eyre commenced her career determining refugee claims, as a Refugee Status Officer. Following that Ms Eyre practiced in a private law firm in Auckland with a focus on litigation, specialising in Treaty of Waitangi claims, Māori legal issues and refugee law. Ms Eyre has been a Barrister since 2014, working predominantly in public law and dispute resolution. Immediately prior to her appointment to the Human Rights Review Tribunal, Ms Eyre held statutory warrants as a Disputes Tribunal Referee and a Visiting Justice.
Deputy Chairpersons
Gillian Goodwin
Gillian Goodwin was appointed as a Deputy Chairperson in May 2019. Prior to that she had been a Panel Member of the Human Rights Review Tribunal since 2013. Ms Goodwin has been a partner at both MinterEllisonRuddWatts and Anthony Harper. In addition, she practised capital markets law at Linklaters in London. Her areas of expertise are privacy law, corporate and commercial law and securities law. Ms Goodwin is a past member of the New Zealand Law Society Commercial and Business Law Committee and the Auckland District Law Society Commercial Law Committee. Ms Goodwin has also served on the National Board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
John Hancock
John Hancock was appointed Deputy Chairperson in May 2023. He has extensive experience in human rights law, including international human rights monitoring and reporting, and public policy. He was formerly the Chief Legal Adviser at the Human Rights Commission, where he led the Commission’s strategic litigation work, and Principal Adviser (Legal) at the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. He has also practiced as a Youth Advocate in the Auckland Youth Court and in community law. He was a member of the Ministry of Health Northern B Health and Disability Ethics Committee between 2016-2022.
Members
Lesley Ashworth
Ms Ashworth has a LLB/BA from Waikato University. She has worked in both private practice and in government agencies with a particular interest in employment law and dispute resolution. She did further study and training to become a restorative justice facilitator and mediator in the early 2000s and then worked for the Human Rights Commission as a mediator for several years. Ms Ashworth now has her own practice in mediation and facilitation, working mostly in the area of workplace disputes using a restorative approach. She is a contract mediator to the Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation Employment Mediation Service.
Natalie Baird
Ms Baird is a Professor at the Faculty of Law | Te Kaupeka Ture at the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga Waitaha. She has LLB (Hons) and BA degrees from the University of Canterbury, as well as an LLM from Columbia University where she studied on a Fulbright Scholarship with a focus on international human rights law. Ms Baird’s current teaching and research interests include international human rights, refugee law and policy, Pacific legal studies, and international disaster law. Ms Baird is also the Co-Director of postgraduate legal studies at the University of Canterbury. Throughout her career, Ms Baird has maintained a keen commitment to the community via volunteering and governance roles with various organisations including Amnesty International, Volunteer Service Abroad and Trade Aid.
Patsi Davies
Dr Davies affiliates to Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha. Admitted to the Bar in 1999, she holds a BSocSci and LLB (Hons) (Waikato University), a PGDipHealth Admin (Dist.) (Massey University), a PhD in public & mental health law/policy (Auckland University of Technology - AUT) and a Certificate in Alcoholism Counselling (ALAC). She has held managerial/policy development roles in the health and disability sectors, clinical roles in mental health social work and addictions, and governance roles in health, education, and football.
Dr Davies has been an academic staff member at AUT (public health) and Waikato University (Law), is a member of several District Licensing Committees and has received tertiary excellence in teaching awards and regional awards for services to football.
Hinemoa Elder
Dr Elder is of Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kuri, Ngāi Takoto and Ngāpuhi descent. Dr Elder has been a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and Fellow of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists since 2006. Dr Elder is currently the Kaiārahi Oranga Hinengaro at Te Hiku Hauora in Kaitāia and the Deputy Chair of Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri. She has a PhD (Massey University 2012) and was an HRC Eru Pomare Post-Doctoral Fellow 2014-18. She has been a deputy psychiatrist member of the NZ Mental Health Review Tribunal since 2012. Hinemoa has written book chapters on the Mental Health Act and Capacity law.
Dr Elder was awarded an MNZM for services to Māori and psychiatry in 2019.
Leigh Gorringe JP
Until recently, Ms Gorringe worked for the NZ Police in Youth Development. In addition she was involved with The Children's Team, Rotorua in the capacity of both panel member and Lead Professional. She was also a board member of several youth-focused committees and trusts and involved in the development and delivery of intervention programmes for youth. Ms Gorringe is now studying full-time to complete a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Her work experience combined with her studies in law and psychology give her a wide perspective on societal and cultural issues.
Deborah Hart
Ms Hart chairs Utilities Disputes Limited and the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. She is the independent chair of the Retirement Villages’ Residents’ Council and the former chair of Aotearoa New Zealand’s independent electoral review.
A solicitor by training, Ms Hart advises on complaints schemes and government relations. She is the former executive director of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand and undertook the last two independent reviews of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme. Ms Hart has served on the Tribunal for over 12 years.
Susan Isaacs
Ms Isaacs is a mediator in the area of employment, workplace relations, the voluntary sector and other disputes. She volunteers at the Citizens Advice Bureau dealing with migrants, beneficiaries and those with health concerns. She has worked in the public sector on education, health and human rights issues, most recently with the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO. Ms Isaacs has a Master of International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington and a Diploma of Business Studies (Disputes Resolution) from Massey University. She is a member of a minority group, sits on the governing body of that community’s aged care society and chairs an educational charitable trust.
Sandra Kai Fong
Ms Kai Fong was born in, lives and works in Rotorua where she practised law for 26 years mainly in the area of commercial and civil litigation but had other court experience in the family and criminal jurisdictions as well as general practise. Ms Kai Fong has since retired from practise.
Other roles include 17 years as a trustee of Bay Trust and Rotorua Trust, both organisations hold a large investment portfolio and use earnings to make grants to the community. This led to a role as the chair of Philanthropy NZ which is the peak body for philanthropy. Ms Kai Fong has also served on other economic development and community related boards. Wanting to continue working for the Rotorua community, Ms Kai Fong was elected as a councillor to the Rotorua Lakes Council in 2019 and in 2022 was appointed as the Deputy Mayor.
Ms Kai Fong was first appointed to the Human Rights Review Tribunal in 2019.
Mike Keefe QSM JP
Mr Keefe is a Retired Public Servant having served 46 years with the NZ Police in Various roles including Serious Crime Investigation
He is of Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Arawa, and European descent. Appointed a Justice of the Peace in 2000, a current Judicial Justice of the Peace, he has served on numerous committees in diverse roles.Mr Keefe maintains a strong interest in helping those who are less fortunate. Various governance roles have focussed on support for the younger generation and the various challenges they now face. He maintains a strong and active interest in social issues including Human Rights, Youth, Education, Employment and Housing. He is the Current chair of the Bay of Plenty/Poverty Bay Lotteries Committee and Deputy Chair of the Rotorua Trust. Both Philanthropic Community Organisations.
Mr Keefe was awarded the Queens Service Medal in 2017 for Services to the Community.
Bronwen Klippel
Ms Klippel practised as a lawyer in Auckland for more than 30 years, working mainly in the areas of family law, health professional disciplinary work and mediation and was appointed as a part-time member of the Refugee Status Appeals Authority in 2003 until 2007. Ms Klippel has undertaken community work and voluntary positions including sitting on two school trust boards, mentoring secondary school students, advising Womens' Refuges and Citizen Advice Bureaus, and having extensive involvement with the Auckland Jewish Community.
Malakai Koloamatangi
Dr Koloamatangi holds a PhD in Political Studies from the University of Auckland. He was, until the end of 2019, Associate Professor and Director of the Pasifika Directorate and Co-Director of the Pacific Research and Policy Centre at Massey University. He has researched, commentated and written on human rights, democracy and related issues.
His community commitments include, among other things, being President of the Auckland Tongan Community Inc and Chair of the Aotearoa Tonga Council
Digby Livingston
Mr Livingston (Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu, and Ngāti Rongowhakaata) is a solicitor in Wellington, specialising in civil litigation. He holds an LLB and BA from Victoria University of Wellington and an LLM with honours from the University of Lyon. He has worked for the United Nations, Franks Ogilvie, and is the partner of his own firm Livingston & Livingston. Mr Livingston is a Borrin Foundation fellow who has helped establish legal clinics in prisons with the assistance of Community Law.
Alice McCarthy
Ms McCarthy is a partner of Manaia Legal, and has significant experience in human rights, te Tiriti o Waitangi, and health and disability legal issues. She is currently a counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care, a deputy lawyer member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal and sits on a national ethics committee. Alongside her legal practice, she is completing a MSc in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford.
Iani Nemani
Mr Nemani brings a 30 year blend of experience across social work, community economic development, vocational education, community housing, immigration and industry. He is a passionate community and stakeholder engagement practitioner and has served as a trusted appointee to several advisory groups and Governance Boards, with his most recent appointments being to Muka Tangata - Primary Industry Workforce Development Council and the Auckland Local Advisory Committee for Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Mr Nemani holds qualifications in Social Work, Social Policy, Economic Development Theology.
Aarif Rasheed
Mr Rasheed is a lawyer with over 20 years’ experience. Mr Rasheed worked for the Public Defence Service until 2008. He then joined Auckland Defence Chambers. As a Barrister he worked with vulnerable and diverse defendants overrepresented in the criminal justice system and saw its impact on whanau. He has an interest in therapeutic justice and the responsiveness of courts to those it serves to reduce this impact. He has assisted courts and tribunals understand and work with diverse communities. He also writes cultural reports for courts. Mr Rasheed also began dispute resolution after serving as a Disputes Tribunal Referee for five years from 2009. He is a mediator and arbitrator. Mr Rasheed has worked on coronial inquiries into deaths resulting from state action often in the context of stress on the deceased while subject to the criminal justice system. He has a background in medical science and an interest in medico-legal matters.
Poalaga Selma Scott QSM
Ms Scott holds qualifications in arts (history) (1982) and law (1986) from University of Canterbury. She was admitted to the Bar in New Zealand and also in Samoa in 1986. She has extensive legal, justice, housing, and accident compensation sector experience. She is Chair of the Niu Economic and Enterprise Development Trust in Christchurch.
Shail Stewart
Ms Stewart holds an LLB and a research LLM from the University of Auckland. She is also a New Zealand trained physiotherapist with wide exposure within the spectrum of the health and disability sector from a clinical and governance perspective. Ms Stewart has substantial national and international experience, specifically in Oncology, Haematology and Palliative Care. She has served on the New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal as a Physiotherapy member since 2015.
Nicola Swain
Dr Swain holds a BSc (Hons) and PhD in Psychology from the University of Otago. She works part-time as an Associate Professor in the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago and teaches and supervises graduate students at the Southern Institute of Technology /Te Pūkenga. Dr Swain has published over 80 peer-reviewed academic papers across areas including health, disability, mental health, substance use, and justice-related issues.
She brings extensive governance and regulatory experience, currently serving on the Health and Disability Ethics Committee, the Medical Sciences Council (Te Kaunihera Pūtaiao Hauora o Aotearoa), and chairs the boards of ADL, a mental health service provider, as well as the Medical Sciences Secretariat. Dr Swain lives in Arrowtown with her husband and the youngest of her four children.
Valerie Tan JP
Dr Valerie Tan is a clinical psychologist at Te Whatu Ora, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Otago, and a private practice clinician. She is a current practitioner member on the New Zealand Psychologists Board serving on a number of its committees, and is a board member of the Film and Literature Board of Review. Dr Tan's ongoing community service includes judicial and ministerial Justice of the Peace roles and she is the Vice President of the Otago Justices of the Peace Association. She is a recent co-founder of the Asian Psychology Collective Aotearoa, and has extensive experience in community organisations related to culture and ethnicity. Her work spans clinical, academic, and regulatory domains, with a particular focus on governance, access to care, and cultural safety.
Ella Tait
Ms Tait is a barrister sole specialising in employment and human rights law, with a particular focus on advocacy, dispute resolution and conducting independent investigations. Prior to becoming a barrister sole she worked in both private practice and the public sector, principally in the areas of employment law, litigation and human rights. Most recently, she held senior roles at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and the Office of Human Rights Proceedings.
Baden Vertongen
Mr Vertongen (Ngāti Raukawa ki Te Tonga) is a barrister and solicitor in sole practice in Wellington. He also works as a mediator in disputes across a range of issues and is a Fellow of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand. Mr Vertongen’s legal work has included assisting with several Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations, Crown/Māori partnerships, and advice to post settlement iwi entities and other large Māori organisations on governance and statutory obligations. Mr Vertongen is a former Tumuaki Tāne of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa (the Māori Law Society) and holds, or has held, a range of other governance roles.