Southland lawyer and former professional rugby player Mike Mika is about to embark on a brand new journey as a District Court Judge in Wellington. 

The partner and crown prosecutor at Preston Russell Law will be officially sworn into his new role on March 8 in Invercargill, before heading off around the country to spend time observing other judges at work as part of his training. 

He’ll then be posted to the Hutt Valley District Court in Lower Hutt as a District Court Judge.

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Mr Mika says leaving Invercargill will be “bittersweet,” having made so many long-lasting friendships and memories here over the last 17 years. 

The former rugby player turned full time lawyer, joined Preston Russell Law in Invercargill in 2003, after a distinguished rugby career. 

His law career has since only gone from strength-to strength.

Now a Litigation Partner at the firm, Mr Mika is experienced in practising sports law, immigration law, criminal law as a crown prosecutor and most recently in the last four or five years, acting as a lawyer for child, where he often advocates for children caught between their parents’ separation.

This work which has been extremely rewarding, Mr Mika said.

“It’s a stressful time for parents but in the middle, we’ve got their children who you know, as much as parents will try and protect them…. it’s bloody hard…”.

“It’s been a good role for the kids to have a voice, to say to mum and dad ‘hey, this is what we want’.”

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As a young Samoan born and raised in New Zealand, Mika was inspired to become a lawyer and pursue rugby after the famous 1970’s Samoan All Black Sir Bryan Williams.

Williams was a Samoan All Black who was also a lawyer. 

“When we were growing up, we all wanted to be Bryan Williams… so basically, it’s his fault,” Mika laughed. 

After high school, the budding rugby player and aspiring lawyer went to Otago university to study a double degree in law and history, with big dreams of following in his hero’s footsteps. 

And Mr Mika did just that. While in Dunedin he played rugby for both Otago and the Highlanders and began his law career at O’Driscoll & Marks Solicitors. 

He then went on to represent Samoa in two Rugby World Cups as well as playing rugby for Coventry RFC in the United Kingdom in 1999. 

He initially signed on a three-month contract in the UK, but he ended up staying for more than four years with his wife Jane and their son Jacob was born there. 

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“I went [to the UK] because I had an injury, I dislocated my shoulder and they said to try and make the Samoan World Cup squad again I need to play somewhere, and it was the off season there, so I went.”

Mika said being able to have both rugby and law in his life has been a real blessing. 

“I always knew I suppose that I had two careers… the rugby career and the legal career,” he said.

And he credits the teamwork skills that he has learnt from rugby as having helped him hugely in his law career. 

“[At Preston Russell] we work together and that’s the coalition for me, is working together as a team and helping each other.”

He said his goal as a lawyer and soon-to-be practising judge has been to see everyone treated fairly. 

“Making sure everyone has a fair go, has a fair hearing. And that’s what’s been important as a Crown prosecutor.”

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“I suppose it’s a bit like sport, you just want to give everyone a fair crack,”

Mr Mika found out that he was to become a District Court Judge in December last year but said he wasn’t able to go public about it until this week, until the Attorney General had made the announcement.

“You can’t trump theAattorney General, that was some sound advice from one of my partners here, Sarah McKenzie,” he laughed. 

But he said the wait was well worth it, when he was finally able to tell his parents who have been his number one supporters since day one. His parents live in Papatoetoe and were out shopping when he rang. 

“It’s fair to say there was a lot of tears,” he said. 

“I said to them ‘please don’t tell anyone’ but I’m pretty sure everyone knew in South Auckland after that.”

“For me, I’m stoked for myself, but I’m more stoked for my parents and my family.”

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“My parents are Samoan. They emigrated separately to New Zealand in the 1960s.”

Mr Mika said this was during a time when a lot of Pacific Islanders were coming over to New Zealand, in search of better opportunities for their families.

“So, without them, making that journey over here to a country where the temperatures were a 30 degree difference, the language barrier… all those things stacked against them, and then one of their kids to actually get a position like this I mean that’s just… without them we wouldn’t have this opportunity.”

“That’s been our parents’ biggest thing is education” he said.

His Dad, Salafai his mum Fou met here had Mike and his two brothers: Waitangi and Fai. 

Mr Mika said he has lots of other family in Wellington and he’s looking forward to being able to stay with his aunty when he first moves up. 

For now, Mr Mika said his wife Jane and son Jacob will stay in Invercargill so that Jacob can finish his final year of school at James Hargest College this year.