Introducing the Chair of PRINZ Ethics Committee

As PRINZ Members, the Code of Ethics guides everything we do. The key principles include honesty, professionalism, abiding by law and balancing openness with privacy. These principles provide a tangible framework for our profession and help to guide us through our day-to-day decision making.

We are delighted to re-introduce Dr Ursula Cheer as our returning Chair of the PRINZ Ethics Committee. 

Ursula Cheer graduated LLB with Honours from Canterbury Law Faculty in 1982 and practised as a lawyer for six years. She then moved to Wellington as a speech writer to the Minister of Justice and later became legal advisor to the Prime Minister. After studying and legal advising in the UK, she returned to New Zealand and became a Lecturer in Law at Canterbury Law Faculty. In 2009, Ursula became Dr Cheer when she was awarded her PhD for her thesis on defamation law in New Zealand. She became a Professor in 2012, specialising in media law and ethics, and from 2016-2022, was the first female Dean of Law for the Canterbury Law Faculty.  Ursula enjoys living in Christchurch with her partner, two adult daughters and two feisty dogs.

The Chair of our Ethics Committee role is a respected non-member that leads any inquiries regarding Code of Ethics breaches. With Ursula’s impressive background, we are lucky to have had Ursula as our Chair for several years now.

To read more about our Code of Ethics or the complaint process, click here