On Wednesday 3 May 2023, the New Zealand Asian Lawyers hosted a wānanga on “Tikanga and the Law” with the support of the Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture / New Zealand Bar Association, at Buddle Findlay. There was an overwhelming attendance at the event, with 80 people attending in-person and 360 online.
The reason for the wānanga was because of the importance of the issue – especially as the place of tikanga in the law of New Zealand has been reinforced by recent Supreme Court decisions including Ellis v R [2022] NZSC 114 and Wairarapa Moana Ki Pouākani Incorporation v Mercury NZ Limited and The Waitangi Tribunal and Ors [2022] NZSC 142.on by the University authorities.
For many of us, our understanding of tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, is limited. Some of us are migrants and are learning all of this anew. For all those practising within Aotearoa New Zealand, it is critical that we expand our understanding of tikanga to recognise when it is relevant in the cases we are arguing, and to respect and acknowledge tikanga when doing so.
We are delighted to publish the presentations of Acting Chief Judge Fox (Tikanga in the Māori Land Court and the Waitangi Tribunal) and Judge Doogan (Tikanga in Environmental Jurisdiction)
