Former Supreme Court of Samoa judge, Justice Leilani Tuala-Warren, has been appointed as a judge of the Kiribati Court of Appeal for a three-year term.

Her appointment runs from 11 May 2026 to 11 May 2029. The warrant was signed by Kiribati President, Taneti Mamau, on 11 May 2026.

A swearing-in ceremony will take place in Tarawa upon her arrival.

The Kiribati Court of Appeal is the country’s highest court. She will sit as a judge on the court alongside two other appointed judges to hear and determine appeals.

Justice Tuala-Warren said the appointment is a prestigious recognition of the calibre of scholarship and teaching within the University of Waikato.

"It reflects the University’s strong commitment to developing legal thinkers who contribute meaningfully beyond Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly within the Pacific region," she said.

 "For Te Piringa Faculty of Law, this appointment underscores the real-world impact of its staff and reinforces its role as a hub for influential, globally engaged legal scholarship."

 The court is expected to sit twice a year. 

Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Samoa from 2016 to 2023. She is the daughter of the late Tuala Misi Tuala and Aruna Tuala.

She is currently the Dean of the University of Waikato School of Law and the first Pacific woman to be appointed Professor of Law by the University of Waikato.

She holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Masters of Law from the University of Waikato.

She was appointed Executive Director of the Samoa Law Reform Commission in 2008.

Justice Tuala-Warren is the second Samoan judge to be appointed as an Appellant Court judge in Kiribati. Justice Vui Clarence Nelson also serves as a Court of Appeal judge in the Micronesian state.