Alison Anitawaru Cole

The former war crimes investigator who now works to elevate indigenous knowledge

Alison Cole (South Taranaki Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, and Taranaki Whānui) began her career as a war crimes investigator with the United Nations, documenting atrocities in the Rwandan genocide, the Sierra Leone civil war, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, across the Middle East and the African continent. After this frontline experience, she moved into justice policy work based out of New York, then moved to the University of Hong Kong as a Senior Lecturer, before returning home to Aotearoa to work on the Commission of Inquiry into war crimes allegations in Afghanistan.

After 20 years, coming home marked the beginning point of her departure from the war zone, and she moved back to her rohe in Ohawe to work the mara, share homegrown kai, and serve as kaitiaki through work in climate justice and environmental protection.

Alison holds a LLM Graduate Masters in Law, Henigson Fellowship for 1st in Human Rights, Bachelor of Arts in Law, First Class Honours, Graduated 1st in College, 5th in Faculty.