Kate Higham

Kia ora, I’m Kate and I’m a stage 3 Pinnacle student with a passion for music and environmental protection.

I am currently in my fourth year at the University of Otago completing a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Geography. I have taken a keen interest in a range of different aspects of Law including Property Law, Immigration and Refugee Law, Family Law and Law and Emerging technologies. However, my true passions are Environmental and International Environmental Law. I want to pursue a career in international law and environmental policy that will allow me to contribute leadership, vision and action to tackle the global environmental challenges of our time. My ambition is to contribute to environmental law and policy development in New Zealand to address global crises. The global crises we face in the modern era invite profound normative questions surrounding the current form of international law, which lacks coherent mechanisms for maintaining the earth’s biophysical systems and avoiding planetary crises. The current ecological crises that we face require the reconfiguration of our legal systems on a national and international scale to better safeguard and protect our natural environments.

I am also passionate about music. I have been playing the guitar since I was 6 and this has become a very important aspect of my everyday life. I love playing for people and jamming with other musicians. I particularly enjoy classical guitar however I have recently been getting into electric guitar and soloing as well.

Being a part of the Pinnacle Programme has been foundational in shaping the person I am today. I have been a Pinnacle student since 2018 and I have had countless opportunities to learn and develop over the subsequent years. My highlights have been Outward Bound where I made lifelong friends and developed my leadership and resilience skills, and more recently Kai Waho where I was inspired by the other Stage 3 students and Pinnacle leaders to broaden my horizons, set ambitious goals, and define what success means to me. Thank you Pinnacle!