Dr Guy Powles - Researcher Profile

Biography

Guy Powles is a Senior Research Fellow having retired from teaching in 2001, and is currenlty engaged in research projects and supervision of theses. His primary field of interest and expertise is the law and practice of the peoples of the Pacific Islands, including PNG, and the development of their constititions. He has practiced law in New Zealand, the UK and Australia, and held judicial appointments in Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia. At Monash he taught Pacific Comparative Law for twenty years and joined the Law Library in building its large Pacific Law Collection. At the same time, Guy helped to develop the clinical law program and taught subjects concerning the legal profession and legal ethics.

Guy was involved in the establishment of the Law School of the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu where he supports teaching and research. He has recently served on the Nauru Constitutional Review Commission and is currently engaged to advise the Tonga Constitutional and Electoral Reform Commission.

Dr Powles regularly presents papers, particularly at conferences in the Pacific Region, and publishes widely on current topics.

His latest articles on Tongan constitutional reform are available to download from SSRN at:

Areas of Expertise

Laws and cultures of the states and societies of the South Pacific
Laws of indigenous peoples, including customary law
Legal policy-making and law reform methodologies
Constitutional law and its development in new states
Human rights and cultural values in Pacific Island states
Legal ethics 

Research & Supervision Interests

Comparative Law

Constitutional Law

Human Rights

Legal Ethics

Legal History

Pacific Islands/South Pacific

Rights of Indigenous Peoples