A month ago, Tiana Epati was announced to become the first Samoan King’s Counsel (KC). She is still trailblazing by also becoming the first person to take the King's Counsel declaration in the Samoan language.

The former President of the New Zealand Law Society was among 12 new King’s Counsel appointed by the Attorney-General, and she took her oath in the Samoan language.

Epati describes her appointment as a major milestone for Pacific representation and a reminder for others to dream bigger. She hopes to use this appointment to increase the number of Pacific lawyers in New Zealand.

She follows in the footsteps of her late father, Judge Semi Epati, who was New Zealand’s first Pacific Islands judge.

In an interview with PMN News, she admits that becoming a King’s Counsel was not always on her radar.

“I was talking to some young Pacific Island lawyers and I said, ‘What about one of us as a King’s Counsel?’ It hadn’t even crossed their minds, and I’m talking about some fabulous, Harvard-educated Pacific lawyers. I remember thinking, ‘Right, we have to do this.”

New Zealand’s Attorney-General Judith Collins said in a statement that the new appointments reflect excellence and service to the community.

She said the bar for becoming King’s Counsel is set very high, and she’s pleased to see the profession represented by such accomplished lawyers.

Becoming King’s Counsel comes with various privileges and traditions dating back centuries. Collins said it’s an ancient ranking.

Epati’s journey in law began in Samoa, inspired by her father. She told Radio New Zealand she grew up watching him help those in distress.

“People would come to him in a really difficult, stressful, chaotic state, and he would say, ‘I know how to fix this’. And that’s an incredibly privileged and powerful thing to be able to do.”

After graduating from the University of Auckland and being admitted to the bar in 2000, Epati became a partner at Rishworth, Wall and Mathieson, before moving to practice as a barrister sole in 2022. From 2019 to 2022, she served as the Law Society President, becoming the first Pacific and the fourth woman in the society’s 152-year history to hold that title.

While Epati plans to continue mentoring young lawyers, she is ready for a new chapter.

“One of the attractions of becoming King’s Counsel is that it would likely open up a new level of work, where I wouldn’t have to work as hard,” she says. “I’ve spent 26 years as a lawyer, a lot of it I’ve done in the criminal area. You do the hard yards, and you don’t always get paid very much; you have to work long hours.

“I want to have more balance in my life. I just turned 50. I’ve got these beautiful children. I just want to enjoy them more.”

According to the Law Society, only 3.8 per cent of New Zealand lawyers have a Pacific heritage. Epati said Pacific representation in courtrooms is vital.

Epati believes that her appointment will open new doors for Pacific lawyers. She said a new wave of exceptional Pacific talent is emerging, and the limits young lawyers once imagined for themselves have now expanded.