Judge Lisa Tremewan was appointed as a District Court Judge to the Waitakere District Court in west Auckland, twelve years ago.
She graduated BA/LLB (Hons) (1985) and M Jur (Dist) (1986) from the University of Auckland, after which she practised as a lawyer for two decades, specialising in criminal law and family law. She also served as an Adjudicator in the Tenancy Tribunal, and served on various Refugee and Immigration appeal authorities.
As a Judge, she holds General, Youth and Jury Trial warrants. She is however perhaps better known for her special interest in therapeutic jurisprudence. In 2012, with a colleague, Judge Ema Aitken, she began New Zealand's first adult Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment (AODT) Court, Te Whare Whakapiki Wairua (the house which uplifts the spirits).
In 2015, she and Judge Aitken received an 'Equal Justice Award' from the Law Faculty of the University of Auckland's 'Equal Justice Project', and in 2017 they jointly also received a 'Significant Contribution' award from the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association recognising their work in the AODT Court.
Judge Tremewan has been regularly invited to present at national and international conferences about the work of the AODT Court.