It's been a while since we last shared stories of former students, so today we introduce Lynne Harrison.

Lynne was a student at Westburn in the 1970s and is a great example of a passion for lifelong learning.

On leaving secondary school Lynne worked at the Bank of New South Wales in Christchurch, focused on raising money to pursue her passion for horses. She then left banking to train as a nurse and, shortly after receiving her registration, enrolled to study law at the University of Canterbury.

Lynne has spent the majority of her legal career in Christchurch, specialising in family law, becoming a barrister and establishing her own practice. After being red-zoned in the 2011 earthquake, Lynne moved to Dunedin, establishing a practice where she remained until she was appointed a district court judge.

She moved to Taranaki in 2015, where she works in the criminal, family and youth courts, as the region's first female judge. Her focus at present is 'being the best judge she can be right now'.

She has an appropriate comment for all Cantabrians - "I just live in the moment. That's something that the Christchurch earthquake taught me. Today I'm here and I'll make the most of today."