Photo caption:听Professor Petra Butler brings a global perspective and passion for human rights to the role of Executive Dean of the University of mini传媒 Faculty of Law.听
Now, Amo Matua | Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law at Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | University of mini传媒, Professor Butler brings her global perspective and passion for justice and promoting human rights to this leadership role.
鈥淲hat I love about the law is that it鈥檚 there to help society to achieve the goals it wants to achieve and to help everyone live a better life. It鈥檚 not an end in itself, it鈥檚 really a tool to help us be a better society,鈥 she says.
Professor Butler has lived in New Zealand for the last 27 years, but she grew up in West Germany, close to the border with East Germany. She vividly remembers visiting relatives living under the communist regime before the reunification of Germany in 1990 and seeing the impact of restrictions there compared to daily life on the other side of the border. This experience was a huge influence on her decision to study law, and her ambition to promote human rights.听
鈥淔rom the age of 10 it was my job to organise and pack care packages for our relatives in East Germany.听 One of my cousins was the same age as me and over the years of corresponding with her and, once, being allowed to visit her and her family, I developed an awareness of the inequalities and rights limitations they were subjected to.鈥
She was studying at the University of G枚ttingen when the Berlin wall, separating East and West Germany, fell in 1989. 鈥淚 think you had to have been there, it was a momentous occasion. Everybody with a car in East Germany came over [to West Germany]. Like many others, my parents took in a family who arrived in my hometown without anywhere to go and no real idea what to do with their newly acquired freedom.鈥
A qualified barrister and solicitor, Professor Butler specialises in international commercial contracts and human rights law and is known as one of New Zealand鈥檚 leading human rights scholars. She loves to travel and learn about different cultures and has taught in all five continents, including being a judge鈥檚 clerk for six months at the South African Constitutional Court in the mid-1990s, and teaching stints in Montevideo, Uruguay, and at Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia in 2019.听听
鈥淟iving circumstances in Ethiopia were very challenging for my students, they might only have a few hours of electricity each day,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut they had this drive to get through and get the best education they could, which was very humbling. Those experiences have informed my teaching, in terms of trying to convey tolerance and diversity of thought to my students.鈥
Before becoming Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law at UC in February this year, Professor Butler worked at Victoria University in Wellington for 23 years and prior to that, at New Zealand鈥檚 Ministry of Justice.听
She is the Director of the Institute of Small and Micro States, promoting scholarly and governmental research, and is co-author of The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act: A Commentary.听
Professor Butler says UC鈥檚 Faculty of Law appealed because it does 鈥渇antastic work鈥 and is very dedicated to its students. 鈥淲e are the only law school with an Institute of Law, Emergencies and Disasters that involves a team of multi-disciplinary experts. It鈥檚 unique in New Zealand and does impactful work working with the United Nations, as well as other academics and stakeholders. Disaster law is not the only area we excel in 鈥 other examples include bio-trade, cultural heritage law, and international law, including laws relating to Antarctica.鈥
She says the faculty offers excellent internship programmes for its students and works hard to ensure they are prepared for a law career. 鈥淲e send two students each year to work in Washington with a senator - we鈥檙e the only law school in New Zealand that has this kind of internship, it鈥檚 an amazing opportunity.听听
鈥淲e have a strong emphasis on the practical aspects of a Law degree with an extensive undergraduate internship programme that gives students a really hands-on experience of working in the field of law and helps them get valuable industry contacts. Our Capstone Project course provides excellent work skills training for graduates because it involves connecting with industry partners.鈥
The Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree is another strength of the faculty, Professor Butler says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unusual to have the Criminal Justice discipline sit within a Law faculty as it does at UC but I think our criminal justice colleagues and students bring really interesting perspectives 鈥 there鈥檚 a fantastic symbiosis between the two programmes.鈥
Professor Butler says her goal is to make UC鈥檚 Law Faculty a vibrant place for students and staff where intellectual discourse is encouraged. She wants to build on UC鈥檚 international connections and harness the exciting opportunities that Christchurch has to offer.听听
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions.
