Legal Support Officer - until 30June 2027

Mfat; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 49,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is seeking a part-time Legal Support Officer based in Wellington for the Legal Division. The role focuses on administrative support in mutual legal assistance, extradition, private international law, and treaties, with opportunity to engage in research and document handling.

Candidates should be a self-motivated law student, capable of organising workload, prioritising tasks, and communicating clearly.

Qualifications

• Law student with understanding of international law principles.
• Self-motivated with ability to plan and organise workload.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Interpersonal skills to work with diverse people.
• Competent in Microsoft Office; able to work independently and with others.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to MFAT’s Legal Division in mutual legal assistance, extradition, private international law, and treaty-making.
• Manage the register for mutual assistance and extradition requests.
• Prepare letters and notes for private international law and mutual legal assistance, extradition.
• Receive and transmit documents from overseas posts, local agencies, and missions.
• Support Treaty Officers in international treaty-making and publication of treaties.
• Assist with treaty-related inquiries and general legal research.

Skills

Organisational skills

Multitasking

Interest in international law

Attention to detail

Written and verbal communication

Interpersonal skills

Microsoft Office

Independent working

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

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Legal Support Officer - until 30June 2027

Date: 22 Oct 2026

Location: Wellington, NZ, 6011

Description: Seeking law student eager to gain practical experience Opportunity to put academic learning into practice Part-time, Wellington based

About the role - Kōrero mō te tūranga

The Legal Support Officer provides administrative support to MFAT’s Legal Division primarily in the areas of mutual legal assistance, extradition, private international law, and international treaty-making and research.

• Supporting management of cases and issues in the areas of mutual legal assistance, extradition, private international law, and working with relevant legal officers to keep them informed of updates

• Managing the register for mutual assistance and extradition requests

• Prepare letters and third person notes for private international law and cover for mutual legal assistance, extradition

• Receive and transmit documents from overseas posts, local agencies, and local foreign missions;

• Liaise with overseas posts and relevant departments
• Supporting the Treaty Officer and Treaty Support Officer in the area of international treaty-making
• Support formatting, printing and binding treaty and arrangement texts in preparation for signature
• Assisting with publication of treaties in the New Zealand Treaty Series and presentation to the House of Representatives
• Support responding to treaty-related enquiries from the public and other government agencies
• General legal research and legal assistance for members of Legal Division

For more detail you can view a copy of the position description here

This is a fixed term opportunity working 10-15 hours per week until 30 June 2027

The salary for this role is $54,996 pro-rated, inclusive of our 3.5% KiwiSaver employer contribution.

Who are we looking for? - Mā wai te mahi nei?

We want to hear from you if you are a self-motivated law student with an understanding of the basic principles of international law.

In addition, we would like you to highlight the following on your application:

• Ability to plan and organise workload.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated interest in international law and/or international relations.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Interpersonal skills and an ability to work successfully with a diverse range of people internally and externally.
• Competent in Microsoft Office suite of products.
• Ability to work independently in completing tasks and collaboratively with others when required

Why MFAT? - Ngā hua o te mahi i te Manatū Aorere?

We are committed to a focus on leadership, talent, training and development, and flexible work options consistent with guidance from the Public Service Commission. Check out our benefits page to find out more about why we love working here.

MFAT is Rainbow Tick accredited. We value diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive culture where everyone feels supported, valued, and a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

About us - Mō mātou

Our people represent New Zealand on and offshore, and in doing so make New Zealanders safer and more prosperous. By building connections with and influencing other countries and international institutions, we advance NewZealand’s interests and pursue NewZealand's values. We provide advice to the Government on the implications for NewZealand of what is happening in the world.

To be considered for this position at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade you must be a NZ citizen.

You must be able to obtain and maintain a Confidential security clearance. Ordinarily, to obtain this level of clearance candidates must have sufficient checkable background in countries where meaningful and reliable checks can be undertaken. Where requisite checks are unable to be made, the candidate application may not be able to be progressed.

Applications close at midnight on 6th November 2026

Please note: This is not a Foreign Policy/diplomatic role. This is a 'Corporate' role (known here as a Specialist role) based in central Wellington, NZ.