The Access to Justice Award is intended to recognise a New Zealander (or qualifying New Zealand resident) who has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of access to justice.
Award co-sponsors, LexisNexis Ltd and the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o Te Ture, present the award at the annual NZBA Conference. The winner receives a cash prize from the Bar Association, along with a yearly LexisNexis subscription package.
The winner of the Award will have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving access to justice for individuals or communities through advocacy, leadership, and the giving of their time and energy.
Criteria and Terms of the Award are available here.
2025 Winner Sonja Cooper
Sonja was awarded the 2025 Access to Justice Award, sponsored by LexisNexis New Zealand and the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o Te Ture, for her decades of work for survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care.
For more than 30 years, Cooper has led claims on behalf of thousands of survivors of abuse, playing a pivotal role in bringing about the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. She and her firm, Cooper Legal, have represented more than 3,500 clients, almost all funded through legal aid.
Read the full story behind Sonja Cooper’s Access to Justice Award
Previous recipients
- 2024 | Annette Te Imaima Sykes (Te Arawa, Ngāti Makino, Ngāti Pikiao) has fought for the rights of the poor, marginalised and disempowered for decades.
- 2023 | Bridgette’ Toy-Cronin. Her work informed the judiciary, the legal profession, and government of the crisis we face in accessing our courts and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
- 2022 | Frances Joychild KC worked as counsel on major cases involving the Bill of Rights and Human Rights Acts, health and disability, immigration, refugee law, domestic violence, and abuse in care.
2026 Nominations
Nominations for the 2026 Access to Justice winner will be underway shortly. If you have any questions, please email us.
Thank You to our Award Partner LexisNexis
