Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi

We have lawyers with whakapapa across Aotearoa and beyond assisting iwi, hapū and whānau with all legal matters relating from te Tiriti o Waitangi.  

Our team has a fundamental grounding in te ao Māori, incorporating tikanga and contextual considerations into our legal and strategic advice to ensure the best outcome for our clients. Our team understands the complex and changing legal landscape in this space.  

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a founding document for Aotearoa and our legal system and traverses a number of our work areas in one way or another. We work alongside clients in specific te Tiriti o Waitangi related matters including:

• Treaty Settlements – including assistance with negotiations, commercial, property and environmental advice. 
• Waitangi Tribunal claims – including historical claims, kaupapa inquiries and urgent applications. 
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Iwi Disputes – including representing clients in various forums in relation to post-settlement issues, governance disputes and other matters.

We have a specialist team dealing with te Tiriti o Waitangi settlement negotiations with the Crown. We can assist with all steps of the process from mandating through to the establishment of post settlement governance entities. 

Our team has been involved in various aspects of Treaty settlement negotiations throughout the country over many years. Our mahi has included the provision of legal advice, strategic advice and project management assistance.  This includes:

• Advice on obtaining a Crown-recognised mandate for Treaty settlement negotiations.
• Advice during negotiations with the Crown in relation to all elements of the Terms of Negotiation, Agreement in Principle, Deed of Settlement, settlement legislation and related documents.
• Advice on Crown policies relating to Treaty settlements.
• Wider commercial, environmental and property advice on transfers of property and related matters.

Our team has considerable experience and a strong reputation in representing clients before the Waitangi Tribunal in relation to claims throughout the country.

We currently have clients in and are actively involved in many Waitangi Tribunal inquiries, covering much of the motu. Our mahi in this space includes representing rōpu in relation to:

• Historical inquiries focussing on Crown breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi prior to 1975.
• Kaupapa inquiries focussing on breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in relation to specific kaupapa, including the Military Veterans and Takutai Moana inquiries.
• Urgent inquiries in relation to specific Crown breaches of an urgent nature, such as challenges to current Crown policy and Treaty settlements.

Our background and expertise across a range of worktypes enables our lawyers to advise iwi, hapū, whānau and individuals in relation to disputes relation to Te Tiriti o Waitangi specific matters but also wider governance, inter-iwi and intra-iwi disputes.

We have represented clients before various Courts and Tribunals, including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. We also advise clients on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to achieve the desired outcomes.