Hannah Yang
Hannah has experience in a broad range of public and private litigation, including contract, equity and trusts, human rights, judicial review, land, local government, tort, and Treaty of Waitangi issues. Hannah has appeared as counsel in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.
Hannah completed her BA/LLB(Hons) at the University of Auckland, and her LLM at Harvard Law School as a Frank Knox Fellow, a William Georgetti Scholar, an Ethel Benjamin Scholar, and an Yvonne A M Smith Scholar. While at Harvard, Hannah was a submissions editor on the Harvard Human Rights Journal and a research assistant for Professor Steven Shavell.
Prior to joining Thorndon Chambers as a full member, Hannah worked as Judge’s Clerk to the Hon Justice Williams at the New Zealand Supreme Court and then as a junior barrister at Thorndon Chambers.
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Parore v Attorney-General SC 88/2025 (for the Human Rights Commission intervening)
Ruakaka Supervalue Ltd v Woolworths New Zealand Ltd CIV-2023-404-2247
Smiler v Attorney-General [2026] NZHC 375
Smith v Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd [2024] NZSC 5, [2024] NZRMA 202 (for the Human Rights Commission intervening)
Smith v Attorney-General [2024] NZCA 692 (for the Human Rights Commission intervening)
Thorndon Quay Collective Inc v Wellington City Council [2024] NZCA 316
Skerret-White v Minister for Children [2024] NZCA 160
Stafford v Attorney-General [2024] NZHC 3110
Wrenn v Boughen [2023] NZHC 2494
New Zealand Independent Community Pharmacy Group v Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand [2023] NZHC 1486
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“The Problem with the Atkinson Discrimination Test and How to Fix It” [2025] NZ L Rev 499
“A principle of legality for the Treaty of Waitangi” [2022] NZLJ 400
(co-authored with the late Douglas Ewen KC) “Human rights remedies and responses” in Human Rights Intensive (NZLS CLE, Wellington, 2022)
“Exclusivity, substantial interruption and the burden of proof in Re Edwards (Te Whakatōhea No 2)” (2021) 27 Auckland U L Rev 415
“Stafford v Attorney-General [2021] NZHC 335” [2021] NZLJ 139
“The Law of Wheel Clamping in New Zealand” [2020] NZ L Rev 71
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LLM (Harvard)
BA/LLB(Hons) (Auckland)