Gabriel Gerente is a third-year Bachelor of Laws and Arts student at the University of Auckland, majoring in Politics and International Relations and Drama. He grew up in Taranaki and attended Francis Douglas Memorial College, where he served as Leader of Special Character on the senior student leadership trio.
As Founding Vice President, Gabriel has been ALSA's primary operational lead since the organisation's first day, translating the President's strategic direction into decisions, deadlines, and delivery across a 17-person executive. He helped draft the founding Constitution, helped form the inaugural executive through interviews and selection, and built the event production system behind ALSA's Inaugural Launch Night at IPLS Headquarters in April 2026: a five-workstream production plan with phased deadlines and contingency buffers, executed live on the night as speaker timing shifted in real time. The event brought together more than 85 students and graduates, with speakers including Dr Mai Chen, Naisi Chen, Bernadette Wilson, and Mingze Sun.
His path into law was not the obvious one. He came through school taking academics, service, performing arts, and sport seriously, all at once. In 2022, he was named Man of Scholarship for outstanding achievement across all four fields, one of two recipients that year and the only Year 12 student to receive the award. He received NZQA Subject Scholarships in English, History, and Religious Studies (each in the top 3% nationally), and was selected through the SGCNZ Shakespeare Festivals as one of 24 students from nearly 4,000 to represent New Zealand and perform at Shakespeare's Globe in London.
At the University of Auckland, Gabriel received the Top Achiever Scholarship and was named Supreme Winner of the Blues Awards for Most Meritorious Performance in Arts and Culture in 2024, as a first-year student. He served as Hall President at Carlaw Park Student Village, leading a community of more than 600 students, and holds the King's Scout Kauri Award, the highest youth award in Scouting across the Commonwealth realms, presented by the Governor-General. He served as Class Representative across all four core Part II Law courses and as Student Co-Chair of the Faculty of Law Student-Staff Consultative Committee, and works outside university as a Legal Assistant at Citizens Advice Bureau NZ and a News Writer at 95bFM.
“Founders set the vision. My job has been making sure it survives contact with reality.”
Gabriel Gerente