Viran Molisa Trief (born 1977) is a

Ni-Vanuatu Ni-Vanuatu (informally abbreviated Ni-Van) is a large group of closely related Melanesian ethnic groups native to the island country of Vanuatu. As such, ''Ni-Vanuatu'' are a mixed ethnolinguistic group with a shared ethnogenesis that speak a mu ...

jurist who has been a member of the Supreme Court of Vanuatu since July 2019; she was the first Ni-Vanuatu woman to hold that role. She previously served as Solicitor General, and was the first woman to that role.

Early life and education

Trief is the daughter of

Grace Mera Molisa Grace Mera Molisa (17 February 1946, Aoba Island – 4 January 2002, Port Vila) was a Ni-Vanuatu politician, poet and campaigner for women's equality in politics. ''The Australian'' described her as "a vanguard for Melanesian culture and a voice ...

and

Sela Molisa Sela Molisa (15 December 1950 – 21 August 2022) was a Vanuatuan politician, who was a member of the Parliament of Vanuatu from 1982 to 2012,

, who were both instrumental in the founding of the Republic of Vanuatu in 1980. She is the eldest of three children; her brother Pala is a lecturer at Victoria University's Business School. They grew up in

Port Vila Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate. Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...

, but went to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

for their secondary education. Trief went to

Nelson College for Girls , motto_translation = Loyalty, honesty and wisdom , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = 1883; years ago , address = Trafalgar St , city = Nels ...

, before graduating from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

with a Bachelor of Laws with honours in 2001. She also has a Bachelor of Tourism Services Management. She graduated with a Master of Public Policy from the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

in 2011, winning the Raymond Apthorpe Master Degree Prize for the best overall result in the degree.

Career

Trief worked at the State Law office as a researcher. She became a State Counsel in 2003 and Assistant Senior State Counsel in 2004. She was program coordinator of the Vanuatu Australian Policing and Justice Program. She was appointed Solicitor General in March 2009. She also served as Secretary of the Law Council and Disciplinary Committee until her appointment to the Court. Trief was appointed to the Supreme Court by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Tallis Obed Moses in May 2019 and sworn-in in July. She was one of ten local and international applicants for the position. She is the first Ni-Vanuatu woman to be appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Vanuatu.

Personal life

Trief is married with three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trief, Viran Molisa Living people 1977 births People from Port Vila Victoria University of Wellington alumni Australian National University alumni Vanuatuan women in politics Women judges Supreme Court of Vanuatu judges Solicitors general Government ministers of Vanuatu People educated at Nelson College for Girls