University of Waikato appoints New Zealand’s first Pacific Dean of Law

Professor Tafaoimalo Tologata Leilani Tuala-Warren is New Zealand's first Pacific Dean of Law. Photo / University of Waikato

New Zealand’s first Pacific female Professor of Law and a former Supreme Court Justice from Samoa, makes history again as she becomes the country’s first Pacific Dean of Law.

Professor Tafaoimalo Tologata Leilani Tuala-Warren has just been appointed to lead the Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato.

Tuala-Warren said she was humbled by the appointment.

“My family, particularly my late father, have always driven me throughout my law journey. This achievement is not mine alone; I carry with me the essence of my heritage, my family, friends, villages, church community, and judicial colleagues in Samoa,” she said.

“I carry the aspirations of an entire nation with me, and I hope to make them proud, while also serving the people of Aotearoa.”

She said being Dean of Law allowed her to be of service to the faculty and the wider community, to show that the study of law is attainable.

The University of Waikato. Photo / Dominico Zapata

“Te Piringa offers a unique learning experience steeped in professionalism, law in context, and biculturalism,” Tuala-Warren said.

“These principles distinguish Te Piringa from other law schools, aiming to produce graduates with a well-rounded and balanced outlook when they enter the workplace. They will be able to apply the law effectively and understand Aotearoa’s context and how it has been shaped by Tangata Whenua.”

Tuala-Warren has been a part of the university since the 1990s after completing a bachelor’s degree, master of laws, and a pre-admission course at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies.

Her master thesis explored a traditional Samoan apology called ‘Ifoga’, and examined whether it could be integrated into NZ’s criminal justice system.

In 2022, she also received a University of Waikato Distinguished Alumni Award and holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Sydney.

“Te Piringa has always been a vibrant, exciting, and diverse place to study law and our focus remains on welcoming international students into our global community, while equally prioritising students from Aotearoa,” Tuala-Warren said.

“The university and the Pasifika community have always had a strong relationship, consistently producing high-achieving Pasifika graduates who excel globally, especially in the Pacific region. I am dedicated to strengthening those ties with all Pacific nations and the Pacific-descendant population within Aotearoa.”

Tuala-Warren’s law career began 26 years ago in Samoa, and she’s achieved many milestones since, including serving as a state solicitor at Samoa’s Office of the Attorney-General from 1998 to 2000.

In 2005, she returned to the University of Waikato holding various roles as a tutor, and law lecturer teaching dispute resolution, corporate and commercial law, and consumer protection, before going back to Samoa to work as a partner at her brother’s firm, Tuala & Tuala Lawyers.

She was made the executive director of the Samoa Law Reform Commission in 2009, and in 2013 she was invited to become a judge of the district court. This made her the second woman in Samoa to be appointed to the bench.

As a newly appointed Samoan judge, Tuala-Warren established the Family and Family Violence Courts, the only ones in the Pacific outside New Zealand. She served as Supreme Court Justice in Samoa from 2016 to 2023 and holds a temporary judicial warrant for the Samoa Court of Appeal.

Handling serious offences and constitutional cases, she then returned to Waikato and became the first Pacific woman in New Zealand to attain a law professorial position.