140th Anniversary Lunch

Sunday 6 February 2011

Otago Girls' High School, which was founded in 1870 and opened in 1871, will be celebrating its 140th Anniversary with a lunch at Glenfalloch on Sunday 6 February 2011. The guest speaker will be ex Head Girl and Dux Mai Chen, who was a founding partner of Chen Palmer NZPLS, Barristers and Solicitors.  Mai is in great demand as a keynote speaker and we are delighted that she has so willingly agreed to speak to us on this occasion.

All ex-pupils are welcome to join in this celebration.  Get a group of friends together and come along to relive your memories of your days at Otago Girls' High School. Download the registration form now and make sure you don't miss out.

Guest Speaker - Mai Chen

Mai Chen is a founding partner of Chen Palmer New Zealand Public Law Specialist, Barristers and Solicitors and has led  the firm for the last 15 years. Chen Palmer has recently won the Best Boutique Law Firm in New Zealand for the first time and the Best Public Law Firm in New Zealand for the fourth time. Mai is a strategist and public law trouble shooter, who has particular expertise in managing business and regulatory/Government risk, in constitutional and administrative law, in reforming law and public policy and in judicial review.

Mai is Chair of the Board of New Zealand Global Women, a member of the World Class New Zealand Network, and President of the Harvard Law School Alumni Association (New Zealand). In 2009 and 2010 she was in Unlimited magazine's 50 top Influencers list and was ranked 57 th in the Readers Digest list of the 85 Most Trusted New Zealanders.

Mai has a First Class Law Honours degree from Otago University and a Masters degree from Harvard Law School. She has worked at the United Nations International Labour Office in Geneva and she comments regularly in the media on topical issues of public law. Mai is currently writing a book called "The Public Law Toolbox". It draws on 16 years' worth of Chen Palmer's expertise and experience into a practical guide or 'roadmap' for dealing with public law problems, and will be an invaluable tool for lawyers, businesses, advocacy groups and lay people, as well as Government and officials. Mai has been appointed Adjunct Professor in Commercial and Public Law at the University of Auckland Business School as of 1st January this year.

Mai was born in Taiwan and emigrated with her family to New Zealand in 1970. She attend Otago Girls' High School from 1977 to 1981, and was both Dux and Head Girl of the school in her final year.

Images from the past (click to enlarge)