Staff Excellence Award for Dr Carwyn Jones
Faculty of Law Senior Lecturer Dr Carwyn Jones was among eight outstanding researchers and teachers from Victoria recently recognised with Staff Excellence Awards.
Faculty of Law Senior Lecturer Dr Carwyn Jones was among eight outstanding researchers and teachers from Victoria recently recognised with Staff Excellence Awards. 
The awards, which were hosted by Tertiary Education Minister Hon. Steven Joyce and presented by Victoria alumnus and MP Chris Bishop, were a chance to recognise Victoria staff who have undertaken excellent research, teaching and public engagement in the service of our communities.
Dr Jones received one of the inaugural Engagement Excellence Awards for demonstrating how academic thought can inform and stimulate public debate.
Dr Jones’ research and engagement focuses on Māori and indigenous peoples’ legal issues, with a particular emphasis on public discussion of the Treaty of Waitangi and indigenous peoples’ rights. Highly active in public spheres, publishing opinion pieces and frequently featuring on radio and television, since 2009 Dr Jones has maintained a blog that focuses on indigenous issues. He also co-edits the Māori Law Review and contributes to student community engagement through his role as a faculty adviser to the Wellington Community Justice Project—a student-led organisation that aims to improve community access to legal services.
Dr Jones’s engagement is also international. He was selected as one of three Māori delegates to be part of the 2014 Pacific Indigenous Peoples Caucus to attend the United Nations World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in New York. He is frequently called upon by his hāpu and iwi to act for them in a representative capacity. Notably, in 2013, he was selected to be a member of the negotiating team for Te Tira Whakaemi o te Wairoa, the body mandated to negotiate historical Treaty claims of the greater Wairoa district.
The other recipients of Victoria Staff Excellence Awards were:
Research Excellence Awards
- Professor Mengjie Zhang, Associate Dean at the School of Engineering and Computer Science in the Faculty of Engineering
- Dr Joseph Bulbulia, Associate Professor at the School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Dr Nick Golledge, Senior Research Fellow at the Antarctic Research Centre in the Faculty of Science
Teaching Excellence Awards
- Dr Deirdre Brown, Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology in the Faculty of Science
- Dr Matthias Lein, Senior Lecturer at the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences in the Faculty of Science
- Dr Diane Ormsby, Lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science
Engagement Excellence Award
- Professor Rawinia Higgins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori)