Working with Maori: The Legal Landscape
Māori legal issues are engrained in several facets of law, and many businesses, public entities and individuals need to understand these issues if they want to operate effectively. Hear from experts working at the forefront of Māori development as they examine the most topical issues, including the Crown and Māori relations, recent land disputes, trust and governance issues and Māori business structuring.
Description
Attend and earn 3 CPD hours
Chair: Mark Hickford, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law, Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington and Barrister, Thorndon Chambers, Wellington
2.00pm to 2.05pm: Opening Comments by the Chair
2.05pm to 2.50pm: Māori-Crown Relations: A Fast-changing Legal Landscape
- Recent decisions of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal
- Tikanga and the common law (‘back to the future’ in Aotearoa)
- Legislative reform and the Treaty of Waitangi in 2021 and beyond
Presented by Jamie Ferguson, Partner, Kāhui Legal
2.50pm to 3.35pm: Māori Land Law: Recent Disputes and Challenges
Take a look at recent disputes and challenges with Māori land
Presented by Nathan Milner, Senior Associate, Kāhui Legal
3.35pm to 3.45pm: Afternoon Break
3.45pm to 4.30pm: Māori Trusts Law and Governance Issues: A Practical Insight
- Practical insight: Māori trusts
- Governance roles and responsibilities
- When things go wrong: A focus on disputes
Presented by Leone Farquhar, Director, Harris Tate
4.30pm to 5.15pm: Business Structuring: Advising Māori Businesses and Entrepreneurs
- Complexity of legal structures
- Rules, roles and responsibilities
- Responding to the problems and suggesting solutions
- COVID-19 issues and implications
Presented by Mihiarangi Piripi, Director, Whāia Legal
Learning Objectives:
- Consider what’s next for Māori-Crown relations
- Reflect on recent Māori land disputes and consider key takeaways
- Receive practical insights into Māori trusts and governance issues
- Gain insight into the complexities of structuring Māori businesses
Presenters
Jamie Ferguson, Partner, Kāhui Legal
Jamie Ferguson is a founding partner of the specialist Maori services firm,Kāhui Legal. He has been in private practice for 24 years and works primarily in the areas of public law, Treaty settlements and litigation. Jamie has been involved extensively in litigation in the Waitangi Tribunal, Maori Land Court, Environment Court, High Court and Court of Appeal involving historic and contemporary Maori issues including fisheries, settlement negotiations, land ownership and administration, and resource management. He has also appeared in both the Privy Council and the Supreme Court on appeals concerning Maori rights and interests.
Nathan Milner, Senior Associate, Kāhui Legal
Nathan Milner joined KĀHUI LEGAL from a large national law firm in 2006. Nathan presently represents clients in both the Waitangi Tribunal and Māori Land Court and he has been appointed as counsel by the Court in several Māori Land Court and Māori Appellate Court cases. He has also been extensively involved in the Ngāti Porou foreshore and seabed negotiations as well as a number of other Treaty of Waitangi settlement and natural resource-related negotiation with the Crown. Nathan has also advised clients in relation to legislative and regulatory reform in relation to a range of issues.
Leone Farquhar, Director, Harris Tate
Before coming to Harris Tate, Leo spent 10 years at a Hamilton law firm, practicing in a wide range of dispute resolution areas, including general civil/commercial, Māori legal issues and aspects of family law. Leo has represented a number of Māori land trusts, incorporations and individuals and is passionate about empowering Māori through the advice and guidance she provides, as she is with all of her clients. Leo also specialises in relationship property, estate and trust disputes, Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act matters and elder law. She is currently the Chairperson of the Angel Casts Charitable Trust and was a regular volunteer with the Serve Trust when in Hamilton.
Mihiarangi Piripi, Director, Whāia Legal
Mihiarangi Piripi is known for her ability to design effective legal solutions in the post settlement landscape. Mihiarangi joined Whāia Legal from Kensington Swan, where she worked in their Corporate and Commercial team. Prior to this, Mihiarangi spent many years working with Traditional Owner groups across Australia, assisting with the negotiation of Indigenous Land Use Agreements under the Native Title Act and the establishment and implementation of benefit management structures.
Mark Hickford, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law, Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington and Barrister, Thorndon Chambers, Wellington
Professor Mark Hickford has served as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law at Victoria University of Wellington since May 2015. He is also a barrister sole at Thorndon Chambers in Wellington where he is a door tenant. Across his career, he has been involved in litigation proceedings in the Waitangi Tribunal, the Environment Court, the Maori Land Court, the High Court, Court of Appeal and Privy Council. He has published widely, including his book Lords of the Land: Indigenous Property Rights and the Jurisprudence of Empire (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011) and his co-edited work with Carwyn Jones, entitled Indigenous Peoples and the State: International Perspectives on the Treaty of Waitangi (Routledge, Abingdon, 2016).