Whānau and diversity celebrated as Judge Michael Mika sworn in stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
He graduated from Otago University, beginning his career with O’Driscoll and Marks Solicitors in Dunedin. Following that he joined Cruickshank Pryde Lawyers and spent four years working for Drew Jones Solicitors in England before returning to Invercargill. Mika is the deputy president of the Invercargill Licensing Trust and ILT Foundation, trustee of Miharo, and a member of council for the Southland Branch of the New Zealand Law Society. Mika played rugby for the Highlanders, Otago, the Southland Stags and Manu Samoa, and played in the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cups as a prop. Invercargill Licensing Trust president Alan Dennis said it would be a significant loss for Invercargill and ILT, and a gain for the district court as he was a quality lawyer.