New Zealand Law Society - Diversity and inclusion
Working to improve diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do, it is critical to the success and sustainability of the legal profession. The Law Society wants to ensure that people feel included no matter their age, background, disability, ethnicity, gender, identity or sexual orientation. This section provides practical resources and advice to support lawyers.
Te reo Māori is an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand and anyone can speak te reo in court. It’s becoming more common to hear te reo in legal workplaces as well as more generally across the motu (country). Check out our resources to support lawyers, including a poster, quick reference cards and flash cards that can be printed and taken into court. We also have audio to help with pronunciation.
The Law Society encourages all legal workplaces to sign up to its Gender Equality Charter. While the charter focuses on women in the legal profession, some charter commitments are relevant to other aspects of diversity. We have developed some guidelines to help anyone who signs up to meet charter commitments. We also have practical tools and resources for everyone.
Nearly 25% of Aotearoa New Zealand’s population is made up of disabled people. Enabling people with disabilities to access legal services or work in the legal profession should be a key part of any diversity and inclusion framework. We provide practical guidance on how lawyers can be inclusive of disabled people as clients and colleagues.