Winners of the Kaupapa Māori Moot Competition 2016
15 August 2016
The final of the annual McCaw Lewis Lawyers Kaupapa Māori Mooting Competition was held in the moot court of the new law building last week.
The moot topic, set by Te Hunga Roia Māori (the Māori Law Society), was an adaptation of the live case, Haronga v AG involving argument as to whether the Waitangi Tribunal is obliged to use its statutory power to make binding recommendations for the return of Crown Forest lands to claimants where a claim is well-founded.
Distinguished Waikato alumni, Aidan Warren (Director of McCaw Lewis Lawyers) and Judge Craig Coxhead (Judge of the Māori Land Court and recently appointed Judge of the High Court, Cook Islands) judged the final together with Rachel Mullins (Associate at McCaw Lewis Lawyers).
All three judges were impressed with the calibre of the six finalists of the competition.
Fourth-year Waikato law student Zac Katene was the overall winner of the competition. Zac will represent Waikato University's law school at the National Kaupapa Māori Moot competition in Queenstown in November of this year.
Final year Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts student, Georgia Woodward won the McCaw Lewis trophy for most outstanding mooter in te reo Maori, and Aaron Littlejohn was named the most promising mooter.
Law Dean, Associate Professor Wayne Rumbles congratulates all the finalists in the competition. He thanks McCaw Lewis Lawyers for their continued support of the law Faculty and congratulates Judge Coxhead on his new appointment in the Pacific Islands.