Dr Royden Somerville QC, a Dunedin-based barrister and the outgoing chancellor, will receive the honorary doctorate at this Saturday’s graduation, where he will also give the graduation address.
He has been a university council member since 2010, pro-chancellor in 2017 and chancellor from 2018 until February this year.
Dr Somerville said he was "delighted and humbled" to receive the honour.
"It was a privilege to serve as a member of the council of the university and as a trustee of the University of Otago Foundation Trust."
New chancellor Stephen Higgs said the honorary degree reflected the dedication and exemplary service Dr Somerville had given to the university during his tenure.
"Dr Somerville has contributed much to the university as a council member and chancellor.
"In these roles he has made a difference to the growth and development of the university, in particular through the 2019 sesquicentennial celebrations and, more recently, the many challenges arising from Covid-19.
"His dedication to the university and its interests has been unwavering and reflects the depth of his association with us, as a student, staff member and councillor."
Dr Somerville graduated from Otago with a bachelor of laws in 1971 and a master of laws in 1972, followed by a PhD in 2002.
Outside of the university, Dr Somerville is a Queen’s Counsel, specialising in public and environmental law.
In 2016, he was presented with the Resource Management Law Association’s Judge RJ Bollard Lifetime Commemorative Award, recognising his long and distinguished career in law.
He was the Ministry for the Environment’s Environmental Legal Assistance Fund chairman for 13 years, and the 2011 Renewable Electricity Generation board of inquiry chairman.
Dr Somerville has also held office in the Otago District Law Society, the New Zealand Law Society, the New Zealand Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the New Zealand Resource Management Law Association, the New Zealand Energy and Natural Resources Law Association and Lawyers Engaged in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Community service included membership of the Ngai Tahu Community Law Centre, the Otago Foundation Trust Board, Government Property Services Ltd, Presbyterian Support Otago and New Zealand, the Presbyterian Property Trustees and the Robert Burns Association of the Pacific Rim.
He remains president of the Dunedin Burns Club and the Otago Scottish Heritage Council.
