Ko Whakapiki te maunga, Ko Hokianga te moana, Ko Ngāpuhi te iwi, ko Te Ihutai te hapū, ko Pikipāria te marae.
Faculty liaison for tauira Māori, Te Rōpū Whai Pūtake and Te Huka Mātauraka (the Māori Centre).
BA/LLB (Hons) (Otago), LLM (Yale)
Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand (2017)
Contact
Email yasmin.olsen@otago.ac.nz
Office 7th Floor – 7C26
Teaching
200-level Wānanga, LAWS201 Criminal Law, LAWS202 Contract Law, LAWS463 Legal Ethics, and LAWS101 The Legal System.
Research interests
Criminal law, criminal justice, youth justice, tikanga Māori and the law
Background
After graduating from the University of Otago in 2015, Yasmin worked as a Judge’s Clerk for Justice Matthew Palmer in the Auckland High Court. Between 2018 and 2023, Yasmin was a Crown Prosecutor at the Office of the Crown Solicitor for Manukau (Kayes Fletcher Walker). Yasmin has appeared as lead counsel for the Crown in trials in the District Court, and as junior counsel in homicide trials in the High Court and appeals before the Court of Appeal. Yasmin also developed specialised experience in Youth Court matters.
In 2024, Yasmin completed a Master of Laws at Yale Law School as a Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, William Georgetti and PEO International Peace scholar, and with support from the Borrin Foundation and the Yvonne Smith Charitable Trust. Her studies focused on criminal law and legal theory, and interdisciplinary perspectives on criminal justice, as well as comparative approaches to Indigenous peoples’ rights / legal issues.
In 2022 Yasmin completed a full-immersion course in te reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Raukawa (Heke Reo Māori). That year, she was also Co-Editor-in-Chief of Te Aho Kawe Kaupapa Ture a Ngā Wāhine | the New Zealand’ Women’s Law Journal.
Publications
Benson-Pope, H., & Olsen, Y. (2025, March). Sentencing reforms: The return of three strikes and further restrictions on discretion in sentencing. Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) Otago Southland Conference, Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Olsen, Y. (2025, February). Oral submission on behalf of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa the Māori Law Society to the Social Services and Community Select Committee regarding the Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill, Wellington, New Zealand. [Government Submission]. Other Research Output
High, A., Olsen, Y. Zajac, R., & Fowler, C. (2024, November). Forum One: Prima Facie and the Legal System. Discussion of legal issues raised by the play Prima Facie. Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Public Discussion]. Other Research Output
Olsen, Y. (2024). Practical guidance for engaging with tikanga Māori. New Zealand Law Journal, (11), 388-392. Journal - Research Article
Benson-Pope, H., Olsen, Y., & Geddis, A. (2024, October). Feedback on the discussion document “Improving jury trials timelines”. Submission to the Ministry of Justice, Wellington, New Zealand. [Government Submission]. Other Research Output