From Wellington to the world
Paddy Hansen has a goal: to one day represent New Zealand on the world stage as a diplomat.
From a young age, Paddy wanted to work for Manatū Aorere—The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, so after graduating from St Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch, he chose to study in Wellington at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University.
He found it an incredibly vibrant, compact city: “Wellington is full of exciting people and really walkable! Having come from Christchurch suburbia, that was welcome.”
A big draw for Paddy was the University’s location in the political centre of New Zealand. “The Beehive, Parliament, Courts, the Public Service—it surrounds you in Wellington. You feel very close to the action.”
Paddy studied a conjoint degree (LLB and a BA in Political Sciences) and applied to the Ministry in his fifth year to become a foreign policy officer. He credits his success to hard work and to the transferrable skills he learned during his time at Law school—such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and analysing issues from multiple perspectives.
“These are great skills because they help you to really drill down into an issue and understand what everyone is after, not just you. That’s very useful as a foreign policy officer, because it helps you find solutions that work for everyone.”
Paddy is grateful for the opportunities he enjoyed while studying in Wellington: “We have a former Prime Minister, International Court of Justice judges, and world-renowned academics at Victoria University Law school,” he says. “The best thing is they’re only just down the hall, and often open to having a chat!”
He also enjoyed the Law School’s ready access to the legal profession and politicians. It is not unusual for a lecturer to teach a case in one lecture and have the Justice who wrote it at the next lesson, ready to take questions from students. “You’ll read a Supreme Court judgement at uni, and then walk past it on the way home. That, you can’t get anywhere else in New Zealand”.
One of Paddy’s best memories of studying in Wellington was walking out of a lecture theatre to a large press conference in the Kelburn Campus Hub, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on offshore oil and gas exploration. “That was pretty wild,” he says.
We asked Paddy what piece of advice he would have for students leaving school and thinking about studying law at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
“Find people who you can chat with, study with, and nerd-out with over the law, and things will be much easier for you. Law school is a collective endeavour.”
Paddy also suggests maintaining hobbies for when things get stressful and to keep study spaces separate. “I rarely studied at home because home is a place of rest for me. This might seem unimportant, but it can really do a lot for your headspace!”
We’re looking forward to catching up with Paddy once he receives his first international posting.
So, where can Law take you? Watch our Law students talk about the different paths they have taken with their Law degree.