The Lecretia Seales Lecture is given in honour of lawyer and law reform advocate Lecretia Seales.
Lecretia Seales was a New Zealand lawyer who, upon suffering a brain tumour and enduring treatments for it, became an advocate of physician-assisted dying.
In 2015, Lecretia went to the high court to seek a ruling that would allow a doctor to assist her to die with her consent. Her court case initiated a national debate and helped galvanise a parliamentary inquiry into assisted dying.
The End-of-Life Choice Act was passed in November 2019, and a public referendum secured support for the Act which was implemented in 2020.
The lecture is generously supported by Lecretia’s family and friends.
The 2026 Lecretia Seales Lecture was delivered by Te Herenga Waka Centre for Justice Innovation on Thursday 18 June 2026. They spoke on "A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions: reforming remand in prison".
Past lectures have been given by:
