Lawyer Keegan Jones, 25, has won the Young Alumni Community Impact Award at the University of Canterbury’s inaugural Young Alumni Awards held over the weekend.
It comes in recognition of his mahi to make justice accessible to whānau after launching his first free legal clinic in Whangārei earlier this year.
The clinic, in partnership with Ngāti Hine Health Trust, was made to “fill a gap in the market” and reduce barriers in the justice system.
“I wanted to target, specifically, Māori who are disproportionately represented in our justice system. I felt like the best way to do that was to provide a free legal clinic that provided access to justice but also reduced barriers in a way of te ao Māori and tikanga Māori,” he says.
“Northland has one of the highest rates of poverty in the country. People can’t even afford food, let alone a lawyer, but to have a legal clinic, which is free and an option for people, I feel, is something important for this community.”