Otago law students compete on world stage

A team of students has addressed pressing issues of international and Indigenous law at the recent 2026 Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Competition, the world’s largest moot contest.

The members of this year’s moot team from Otago Te Kaupeka Tātai Ture Faculty of Law are Abby Bowmar and Campbell Kidd, who are the speakers, and Flynn Struckmann and Oliver Thorns, who are the researchers.

"The opportunity to engage with pressing issues of international law alongside participants from across the globe was transformative in every respect. As students of international law, as emerging lawyers, and as members of the international community, Jessup profoundly broadened our horizons," Flynn says.

In March, Abby, Campbell and Flynn travelled over to Washington DC to compete against the world’s finest young legal minds, with students from about 700 law schools around the world participating.

A moot competition is a hypothetical case, where competitors present their prepared arguments and answer questions from the judges.

The legal problem presented by Jessup this year was a case concerning the fictional Gordian Gorge, which focused on International Court of Justice intervention rights, Indigenous rights regarding rare earth minerals, and general principles of law.

Otago team coach, law lecturer Henry Benson-Pope, says to succeed competitors need to demonstrate a wide range of legal skills.

“It requires really thorough preparation, as well as the ability to respond quickly in the moment to questions from the judges and new arguments from your opponents,” Henry says.

Team researcher Flynn says it was an invaluable experience to represent Otago and Aotearoa at the event.

The Otago team won all four preliminary rounds against Harvard Law School, the University of Asia Pacific in Bangladesh, Wuhan University Law School and the University of Helsinki. They placed 21st out of the 164 teams in their knock-out round. The team from the National University of Singapore is the overall 2026 Jessup champion.

"Considering the calibre of the competition, we were beyond stoked," Flynn says.

The team behind the team

The trip was made possible by the generous financial support of Alumni of the University of Otago in America (AUOA) and the Vice-Chancellor’s Fund.

AUOA also organised a warm welcome for the team, organising an event hosted by New Zealand Ambassador to the United States Chris Seed at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC. All Otago alumni living in the United States were invited.

Flynn says this was an incredible start to the experience, “The support of Otago alumni in attendance, together with the presence of Ambassador Chris Seed, made the occasion especially meaningful. It is difficult to overstate our gratitude for such a warm welcome, and for being presented with the chance to share our successes with such a supportive community."

Dean of Law Associate Professor Bridgette Toy-Cronin says the faculty is thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity to its students and is very grateful for the support they received from their wider community.

“As well as the generous financial support, this hospitality is such an important part of the Jessup experience. It is a great opportunity for our students to connect with and appreciate the wider, global community that is Otago law.

“We are so proud of how this team represented Otago at the Jessup competition.  It is really inspiring for all our students to see their peers competing and achieving at this level.”

Korero by Antonia Wallace, Communications Advisor - Kaiarataki Pārokoroko