Humans of Ōtautahi: Kerryn
“I’m a lawyer. Who’s just been made a QC (Queen’s Counsel). Startlingly!
“I’m the only woman QC practising in Christchurch which is outrageous. When I graduated from law school, Judith Ablett-Kerr had just been made a QC. She was the third woman QC in New Zealand, and here we are, however many years later, and I’m only the sixth in the South Island.
“I’ve done some unusual things in my career. I have been both a prosecutor and a defence lawyer. I was appointed as one of the counsel assisting the Royal Commission into the Pike River tragedy.
“I worked for a while as the public defender for Christchurch, but then I got a job in Cambodia. I was working for the co-investigating judge at the UN Khmer Rouge tribunal, investigating crimes against humanity from the ’70s, and that was eye-opening.
“My whole career has been dealing with the terrible things people do to each other. Look, I do have hope for humanity, but it’s quite challenging sometimes to see what people do to each other.
“I’ve had my moments; I’ve had times where it’s been all too much. And it’s really important to have empathy for people that are having a terrible time. But ultimately, you’re not responsible for what’s happened to them or what they’ve done.
“I just have a normal life, I guess. Hang out with my dog and Shaun and the kids. I read. I like to walk the dog. I’ve just started running, which is actually quite good. I mean, I’m terrible at it. But it’s quite good for the psyche.”