Sir Owen Woodhouse Memorial Fellowship/Lecture

The Woodhouse fellowship and associated lecture commemorates the life of distinguished judge Sir Owen Woodhouse.

Born in Napier in 1916, Sir Owen completed an LLB at the University of Auckland in 1940. He was appointed a Judge of the New Zealand Supreme Court in 1961, and then the New Zealand Court of Appeal in 1974.

Sir Owen's compassion, generosity of spirit and social conscience were reflected in his work as President of the Court of Appeal, President of the Law Commission, and Chairman of the Royal Commission on Compensation for Injury that recommended a no-fault accident compensation scheme and laid the foundations for ACC. He made an immense contribution to New Zealand’s law and society.

In 2023 a new agreement was signed with the Woodhouse family who generously support this lecture. The new agreement focuses on us delivering a Fellowship every four years and ensures public lectures take place bi-annually.

Sir Owen Woodhouse Memorial Lecture 2026

Professor Michelle Mello

The 2026 Sir Owen Woodhouse Memorial Lecture brought together a full audience for an insightful and timely presentation by Professor Michelle Mello, a leading global expert in medical liability and public health law.

Professor Mello examined the evolution of New Zealand’s ACC system for medical treatment injury alongside developments in injury compensation in the United States. Her lecture offered a comparative look at how both systems balance the needs of patients, healthcare providers, and the wider health system.

Watch Professor Mello deliver her lecture titled Revisiting no-fault compensation for medical harm: Meeting patients' needs in New Zealand and the U.S.

Past Woodhouse lectures have been given by: