Rate My Professor Mamari Stephens

Māmari Stephens is a Reader in the Faculty of Law at Victoria University of Wellington, having joined the faculty in January 2006 following periods of study and professional experience in the Department of Corrections and Māori broadcasting. She holds an MA with Distinction in Classical Studies, a BA with Honours, and an LLB with Honours, all from Victoria University of Wellington. From 2008 to 2015, Stephens co-led the Legal Māori Project with Mary Boyce of the University of Hawai'i, focusing on the restoration and enhancement of Māori as a legal language through lexicographical work and resources. Her academic career also includes editorial roles in the Legal Studies Research Paper Series and contributions to the Māori Law Review.

Stephens' research specializations encompass law and language—particularly te reo Māori in legal contexts and lexicography—welfare law, social security law, criminal law, and Māori constitutionalism. Key publications include He Papakupu Reo Ture: A Dictionary of Māori Legal Terms, co-authored with Mary Boyce and recipient of a section award at the 2013 Ngā Kupu Ora Aotearoa Māori Book Awards; 'A Return to the Tohunga Suppression Act 1907' in the Victoria University of Wellington Law Review (2001); co-editor of Feminist Judgments of Aotearoa New Zealand Te Rino: A Two-Stranded Rope (2017); 'Taonga, Rights and Interests: Some Observations on WAI 262 and the Framework of Protections for the Māori Language' (2011); and 'Kaumātua, Leadership and the Treaty of Waitangi Claims Settlement Process; Some Data and Observations' (2002). Additional works address issues in welfare law and human rights law, Māori language use in the New Zealand legal system, and Māori law more broadly. Her scholarship has accumulated over 300 citations on Google Scholar, influencing discussions on indigenous legal traditions and language rights. Stephens has delivered impactful public lectures, such as the 2025 Lecretia Seales Lecture in Law Reform, and continues to advance Māori perspectives within legal academia.