Four Te Herenga Waka researchers are among 23 new Fellows elected to the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Election to the Academy recognises distinction in research, scholarship, or the advancement of knowledge at the highest international standards.
The four Te Herenga Waka staff who have been inducted this year are Professors Rod Badcock, Richard Boast, Nicole Moreham, and Yvette Tinsley.
Professor Rod Badcock is known for his work on high-temperature superconductors. He has made significant contributions to the design of motors and generators for applications in space, aerospace, and energy generation and storage. His work in developing superconducting dynamos and flux pumps for electric machines paves the way for all-electric aircraft. The impact of his work extends to fusion energy and optical-fibre sensing in extreme environments. The superconducting technology he has developed will also help accelerate the large-scale introduction of clean energy.
Professor Richard Boast (ONZM KC) is a professor of law and legal historian whose work focuses on the relationship between colonial powers and Indigenous peoples of the Pacific and Latin America. His three-volume book on the operation of the New Zealand Native Land Court is regarded as the key reference text in courts and tribunals. Richard has extensive experience as counsel and specialist historian for Māori iwi and hapu, and as a legal historian expert witness in the Waitangi Tribunal and the courts.
Professor Nicole Moreham is an internationally recognised expert on media law and the law of obligations, particularly the law of privacy. Her work explores a range of complex legal intersections: between theory and doctrine, domestic and international law, human rights and common law, and multiple different common law actions. She has also researched the impact of media intrusion into grief. Nicole co-writes and edits the leading English privacy work, The Law of Privacy and the Media (Oxford University Press). This work, along with her many articles and chapters, has shaped both academic debate and legal developments.
A renowned criminal justice scholar, Professor Yvette Tinsley’s research has created an evidence base for legislative reform and innovations in legal practice and policy, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad. She investigates new ways to do justice that improve the way people experience the law. Her interdisciplinary research is both theoretical and empirical, and addresses such crucial issues as decision-making by jurors and the role of jurors’ biases in trials of sexual violence. Yvette’s focus on assessing and improving the wellbeing of witnesses, legal professionals, and others who engage with the justice system includes collaborating across disciplines and with Māori and Pasifika scholars to study and mitigate the effects of custodial remand on prisoners.
Professor Margaret Hyland, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, congratulated the four professors on being inducted as Fellows of Royal Society Te Apārangi.
“Each of them is engaged in work that addresses key questions we face. Their research in areas ranging from sustainability to society’s interactions with media and the law has made a significant contribution to knowledge. It’s wonderful to see their expertise and contributions being recognised,” she said.