Te Hunga Roia Hui a Tau 2011
27 July 2011
Te Piringa Faculty of Law hosted and sponsored the Te Hunga Roia Hui a Tau 2011 (Māori Law Society Annual Conference) from 30 June to 2 July as part of our 20th Year anniversary. As opening plenary speaker Linda Te Aho spoke about the founding principles of the Faculty and the establishment of the two new research centres: The Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre and the Centre for Environmental, Resources and Energy Law.
We hosted two international speakers, Rebecca Tsosie of the Yaqui nation and teacher of law at Arizona State University who spoke about cultural sovereignty, and the Honourable Robert Yazzie, the Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation who spoke about lawyers as peacemakers.
Four faculty members presented: Professor Brad Morse (Dean), Linda Te Aho, Matiu Dickson and Wayne Rumbles. Several of our alumni and former colleagues also actively participated: Judge Coxhead and Judge Fox judged the moots (the winning team was Hine Joy Weiland – Waikato; and the overall moot winner – Edon Hopeneer - VUW); and Judge Fox also presented on the Environment Court together with Judge Melanie Harland. Liana Poutu (currently the co-president of the Māori Law Society); Willow Jean Prime; Tania Tetitaha and Judge Stephanie Milroy also presented. Former student and staff member, Leilani Tuala Warren, the Director of the Samoa Law Reform Commission, was our conference dinner speaker. One of the highlights of the conference was the session on ‘Practising in International Jurisdictions’ in which one of our alumni, Haylee Putaranui of O’Sheas Solicitors organised for our alumni Whare Iraia and Davina Ruru (from Abu Dhabi); and Daniel Arapere (from Sydney) to be beamed in simultaneously and talk about the work they are doing in those jurisdictions and how their training at Waikato and then Russell McVeagh has prepared them well for their work overseas. Other speakers included Valmaine Toki (Auckland Law School); Andrew Kelleher (Economist for ASB Bank); Jamie Ferguson (Partner Kahui Legal); Jonathan Temm (President NZ Law Society); Ophir Cassidy (Family Law Barrister); and judges Stephen Clark; Louis Bidois; Alayne Wills; and Denise Clark.
Mylene Rakena, Māori Liaison, and the students of Te Whakahiapo must be congratulated for their work making the conference the success that it was.
Winning Moot Team, National Kaupapa Māori Mooting competition. Left to right: Judge Fox, Hine-Joy Weiland (Waikato); Edon Hopeneer (Victoria); Judge Coxhead.