Maamaloa to shine a light on Pacific legal scholarship

Auckland Law School is set to launch the Maamaloa Pacific Legal Research Hub, a pioneering initiative designed to support Pacific legal scholarship, strengthen research capacity and create opportunities for Pacific legal researchers across the region.

Led by Auckland Law School lecturer Dr Suliana Mone, the hub takes its name from the Tongan phrase Maamaloa, meaning "great light". The name reflects the aspiration that Pacific students, scholars and graduates will continue to light the way for future generations through research, teaching and leadership.

The hub represents the beginning of a long-held dream to grow Indigenous Pacific legal scholarship and create a platform for Pacific voices in legal research says Dr Mone.

"Maamaloa is about creating pathways for Pacific legal scholars to tell our own stories, ask our own questions and contribute to legal knowledge from our own perspectives," says Mone.

"It is about shining a light on Pacific scholarship and supporting the next generation of researchers and leaders."

The hub's first major project is an ambitious edited volume examining constitutions across the Pacific. Co-edited by Mone, Professor Jodi Gardner and leading Pacific legal scholar Professor Emerita Jennifer Corrin, the publication brings together 17 authors from across the region.

Contributors include scholars from Aotearoa, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tonga, Samoa, Niue and Tuvalu. Together, the authors explore 11 constitutions from across the Pacific and their significance for contemporary communities.

This week, the authors will gather at Auckland Law School for a two-day symposium Sept 10-11, where they will present draft chapters, exchange ideas and discuss the future of constitutionalism and legal systems in the Pacific.

Mone says the symposium is an important opportunity for collaboration and mentorship, particularly for emerging scholars who are new to academic publishing.

"We want to create a space where Pacific researchers can develop their ideas together and receive support from experienced scholars," she says.

"The project is also about passing the torch from the pioneering generation of Pacific legal researchers to a new generation of Indigenous Pacific scholars."

Professor Emerita Jennifer Corrin, whose research has helped establish much of the foundational scholarship in Pacific legal studies, has played a key role in supporting the project and mentoring contributors.

Mone believes the volume will help address a longstanding gap in legal scholarship by increasing research authored by Pacific people and grounded in Pacific knowledge, experiences and priorities.

"The constitutions that govern our countries are deeply connected to who we are as Pacific peoples. We want to explore what constitutions mean in Pacific contexts and how they can continue to serve our communities into the future."

The project has received strong support from Auckland Law School, Waipapa Taumata Rau's Pacific research community and Fofonga for Pacific Research Excellence, led by Dr Charmaine 'Ilaiū Talei. Additional support has come from members of the wider Pacific legal community who share the vision of strengthening Pacific-led scholarship.

Final chapter drafts are due in December, with the open-access publication expected to be released next year, ensuring the research is freely available to students, policymakers and communities across the Pacific. Mone is grateful for the support of Auckland University donors whose generosity have allowed the symposium and edited collection to occur.

While the forthcoming book is the hub's first project, Mone sees it as only the beginning.

"Our hope is that this becomes a lasting centre for Pacific legal research and collaboration," she says.

"We want Maamaloa to grow into something that supports generations of Pacific scholars and contributes meaningfully to legal knowledge across the Pacific and beyond."

As Auckland Law School prepares to launch the new hub, Maamaloa promises to illuminate new pathways for Pacific legal scholarship, ensuring Pacific voices continue to shape the future of law, governance and justice throughout the region.