Viran Molisa Trief (born 1977) is a

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

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 A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

, and was the first woman to that role.

Early life and education

Trief is the daughter of Grace Mera Molisa and Sela Molisa, 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 ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the island of Efate, in Shefa Province. The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census. In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the ...

, but went to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

for their secondary education. Trief went to Nelson College for Girls, before graduating from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

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 university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

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

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 21st-century Vanuatuan politicians Women judges Supreme Court of Vanuatu judges 21st-century Vanuatuan people Solicitors general Government ministers of Vanuatu People educated at Nelson College for Girls