Human rights experts, advocates and practitioners reflect on international human rights in the context of Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, for diverse communities in Aotearoa and in the wider global context. Together they explore the continuing relevance of human rights; achievements, dilemmas and new threats; and initiatives for rights realisation from monitoring to direct action.

All welcome.

Our panelists:

Dr Carwyn Jones – Tikanga, He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti and International Human Rights: Connections and tensions
Thalia Kehoe Rowden – Measuring What Matters: new human rights data
Samuel Leason – Humanitarian Intervention for Gaza: Taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla
Stace Robertson (he/they, Pākehā) – Lead Accessibility Advisor | Kaiārahi a Toi Ōritetanga at Arts Access Aotearoa
Rosie Leadbitter – Workplace Services Development Lead at InsideOUT.

Chaired by Dr Penny Ehrhardt

Dr Carwyn Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu KI Te Wairoa) is Pūkenga Matua (Lead Academic), Ahunga Tikanga (Māori Laws and Philosophy) at Te Wānanga o Raukawa. Carwyn is an expert on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori legal issues and indigenous law. He worked with his mentor, Moana Jackson on Matike Mai Aotearoa (Constitutional Transformation in New Zealand). Carwyn has studied and lectured at Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University of Wellington) and is an Honorary Adjunct Professor in Te Kawa a Māui (the School of Māori Studies).

Thalia Kehoe Rowden is Co-Executive Director, Human Rights Measurement Initiative – a global NGO headquartered in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. HRMI works to produce robust measurements of how well governments are keeping their human rights promises.

Samuel Leason joins us just before his departure to join the new Global Sumud Flotilla. As a coalition of everyday people – organisers, humanitarians, doctors, artists, clergy, lawyers, and seafarers – who believe in human dignity and the power of nonviolent action, Global Sumud is “united by a single truth: the siege and genocide must end.” In 2025, Samuel, then aged 18, was unlawfully abducted and detained by Isreal while taking part in the previous flotilla attempting to break the siege and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Photo @Otaki Today

Stace Robertson (he/they, Pākehā) is Lead Accessibility Advisor | Kaiārahi a Toi Ōritetanga at Arts Access Aotearoa. His role includes advising the arts sector on accessibility policies, advocating for increased access, and supporting inclusive practices. He is also the main contact for Taha Hotu Deaf and disabled artists’ initiative, focusing on Deaf and disabled artists becoming integral to the arts sector and leading and shaping the artistic landscape. A practising artist in painting and ceramics, Stace is a proud disabled person with strong connections in disability communities and a background in intersectional advocacy, community development, and governance, supporting access and equity across settings.

Rosie Leadbitter works as Workplace Services Development Lead at InsideOUT. She has worked in various roles in recent years supporting rainbow and takatāpui rangatahi and studied sociology and public health in Ōtepoti Dunedin. She is passionate about examining how the communities we belong to and the stories we inherit about identity inform how we engage with the world and ourselves. She supports workplaces through consultation & education around rainbow inclusivity, equity and safety.

This hui is part of the Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education exhibition at Te Whare Manaaki o Toda, on display during March and April.

Contact the host of Transforming Lives – Human Rights in Aotearoa and the world

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