The Lecretia Seales Lecture is given in honour of lawyer and law reform advocate Lecretia Seales.
Lecretia Seales was a New Zealand lawyer who, upon suffering a brain tumour and enduring treatments for it, became an advocate of physician-assisted dying
In 2015, Lecretia went to the high court to seek a ruling that would allow a doctor to assist her to die with her consent. Her court case initiated a national debate and helped galvanise a parliamentary inquiry into assisted dying.
The End-of-Life Choice Act was passed in November 2019, and a public referendum secured support for the Act which was implemented in 2020.
The lecture is generously supported by Lecretia’s family and friends.
The Lecretia Seales Lecture was delivered by the Honourable Christopher Finlayson in 2024, a lawyer and former Member of Parliament
The Hon Christopher Finlayson drew on his extensive experience as a lawyer and Cabinet Minister to argue that New Zealand needs to invest in its legal infrastructure as well as its physical infrastructure.
Watch the Honourable Christopher Finlayson deliver his lecture titled Reforming New Zealand's Legal Infrastructure.
Past lectures have been given by:
