Kerrin Humphrey has joined the New Zealand Law Society in the role of Culture Manager. This new position will work closely with the Culture Change Taskforce. Kerrin Humphrey joins the Law Society from the New Zealand Defence Force where she was a strategic adviser on OP RESPECT, the Defence Force’s programme to eliminate harmful and inappropriate behaviour.

What will your role involve?

My key responsibilities will be as a strategic adviser to the Law Society’s Culture Change Taskforce. I will be implementing a programme of work that will support other initiatives in the legal community that aim to create a healthier, safe, respectful and inclusive work environment for all our people. I will be engaging with our leaders to encourage them to stand up and speak out about behaviour that doesn’t align with our values and using their knowledge to develop practical tools and resources to help them do this. I will also be working on regulatory matters that require a sensitive approach and ensuring that when we respond we do so in a people-focused manner.

Could you tell us something about your background?

I have travelled a fair amount, but I am a born and bred Wellingtonian and currently live in Maymorn (Upper Hutt) with my fiancé, two teenage step sons, two dogs, eight sheep and an ever-increasing number of rabbits! Prior to coming to the Law Society I worked for the New Zealand Defence Force for three years as a strategic advisor on OP RESPECT, their initiative to eliminate harmful and inappropriate behaviour, including sexual violence. Before that I was a police officer for 17 years. Throughout my career I worked in a number of different branches but some of the highlights were deploying to the Solomon Islands for six months in a mentor/capacity building role, community policing, alcohol harm reduction, child protection and adult sexual assault.

What issues will you be focusing on?

Along with the rest of the Taskforce I will be focusing on helping the legal community to eliminate harmful and inappropriate behaviour from the workplace. This will involve understanding our environment, where, when and what type of things are happening and what is driving the behaviour so that we can strategically approach how to prevent future incidents. We want everyone in our community to feel safe speaking out when they don’t like how they have been treated. We will be ensuring that when things happen people know what to do and how to respond and that everyone receives the support they require through any process that follows.