# Margaret Bedggood

Margaret Ann Bedggood CNZM QSO (born 10 April 1939), known for a time by her married name of Margaret Mulgan, is a New Zealand jurist, and an honorary professor at the University of Waikato. She was the chief human rights commissioner for New Zealand from 1989 to 1994. Following this, she spent five years as Dean of the Faculty of Law at University of Waikato. Bedggood has also taught at the University of Otago, and tutors at the University of Oxford. Bedggood retired in 2003, but retains a position as an honorary professor and still supervises students.

## Early life and family

Bedggood was born in Takapuna on 10 April 1939, the daughter of John Thomas Bedggood and Caroline Bedggood (née Slaughter). She was married to Richard Mulgan in 1964, and has three children.

## Academic career

Bedggood completed a Master of Arts degree in Latin at the University of Auckland in 1960, a Master of Arts degree at University College London in 1964, and a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of Otago in 1978. During the 1960s, she spent time tutoring classics in London, and observed the disparity of opportunity created by pervasive class discrimination. She credits this experience, and reading William Temple's book Christianity and Social Order, as creating her "desire to be an agent of change". Her move from classics to law at age 32 was motivated by the practicalities of having small children and her work with Amnesty International, of which she had been a member since 1968.
In the 1980s, Bedggood lectured in labour law at the University of Otago, where she met Professor Alexander Szakáts, who she describes as "the brilliant pioneer of labour law in New Zealand".
In 1988, Bedggood was invited to apply to be the chief human rights commissioner, and she held the position from 1989 to 1994. During her tenure, the Human Rights Act 1993 was enacted. Following this, she spent five years as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato.
Bedggood has been a visiting fellow at Kellogg College, Oxford, and tutors in international human rights law. Bedggood retired in 2003, but retains a position as an honorary professor at the University of Waikato and still supervises students.
Bedggood served on the International Board of Amnesty International from 1999 to 2005. She has been on the Refugee Council of New Zealand, and was a trustee of the Aotearoa New Zealand Peace and Conflicts Studies Centre at the University of Otago.

## Honours and awards

Bedggood was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal in 1993. In the 1993 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Waikato in 2010. In the 2019 New Year Honours, Bedggood was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to human rights law.

## Personal life

Bedggood describes herself as a "cradle" Anglican and a member of The Third Order.

## Selected works

* International human rights law in Aotearoa New Zealand. Margaret Bedggood, Kris Gledhill, Ian McIntosh. Wellington. 2017. ISBN 978-1-988504-29-2. OCLC 1027999836.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
* Bedggood, Margaret (January 2010). "Studying the Law in Context: Exploring an International Dimension of New Zealand Law". Waikato Law Review: Taumauri. 18: 53–65 – via Informit.
* Bedggood, Margaret; Gledhill, Kris (2011). Law into action : economic, social and cultural rights in Aotearoa New Zealand. Thomson Reuters. ISBN 978-0-86472-723-7. OCLC 707893993.