Ida Malosi

Ida Malosi
Born

Ida Malosi is a lawyer and judge from New Zealand. She is the country's first woman Pacific Island judge.[1]

Early life

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Malosi was raised in Bluff and Invercargill in the South Island of New Zealand. Malosi's parents were immigrants from Samoa; her father, Tusi, worked on wharves and her mother, Jane, was a hospital cleaner.[1][2]

Education

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Malosi earned a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Victoria University of Wellington.[3]

Career

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In 1994, together with La-Verne King and Aliʻimuamua Sandra Alofivae, Malosi founded a law firm in South Auckland, a partnership of three Maori and Pacific Island women lawyers.[4] In 2000 the law firm received the Auckland District Law Society’s EEO ‘Most Innovative’ award.[5]

In 2002, Malosi was appointed to the Family Court. Since then, she has worked to implement culturally appropriate responses to youth offending, working with Māori Youth Court colleagues on establishing Rangatahi Courts and using this as a model for similar Pasifika Courts. In 2015, the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration awarded the Rangatahi and Pasifika Courts its Award for Excellence in Judicial Administration.[5]

From May 2013 to July 2014 Malosi served as Samoa's first Samoan female Supreme Court Judge.[6] During her time in Samoa she established the Family Court and the Family Violence Court. She also began the work to found the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court.[5]

In 2017 Malosi was awarded Victoria University's Distinguished Alumni Award.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b HEWITSON, MICHELE (13 September 2002). "First female Pacific Island judge ready to be tough but caring". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Newstalk ZB's Niva Retimanu". E-Tangata - A Māori and Pasifika Sunday magazine. 12 July 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Ida Malosi". SAMOAN BIOS. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  4. ^ "South Auckland's paid parental leave pioneers". Newsroom. 7 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Wellington, Victoria University of (4 October 2017). "Judge Ida Malosi (BA 1985; LLB 1989)". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Samoan Female Supreme Court Justice Hears First Case". Pacific Islands Review. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Judge Ida Malosi: 'I thought all Samoans lived in Bluff'". Radio New Zealand. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2018.