On Thursday 29th August 2019, Professor Vanessa Munro gave the 2019 Shirley Smith Address at the New Zealand Parliament. The annual address presented by the Women in Law Committee of the New Zealand Law Society’s Wellington branch in honour of pioneering New Zealand woman lawyer Shirley Smith. Vanessa’s talk was titled ‘Judging Juries: The ‘Common Sense’ Conundrums of Prosecuting Violence Against Women’, and was funded by the New Zealand Law Foundation and the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation.

In 2008 the inaugural address was delivered by Margaret Wilson, then Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives. Subsequent speakers have included members of the New Zealand judiciary and renowned international legal academics. The addresses have covered such issues as criminal justice reform, the interface of human rights and national security and the role of international courts in dealing with sexual violence. The audience for 2019 included the New Zealand Chief Justice and Solicitor-General, as well as Jan Logie MP, the Parliamentary Undersecretary for Justice who sponsored the hosting at Parliament.

Find out more about Professor Vanessa Munro and her research.