Fourth-year law student Edmond Carrucan took out the Manukura Trophy for the winning team at the National Kaupapa Māori Moot competition last week.
E te reo e tui nei! E te kōtare e rere! Kia mamao ake te ua, kei te mihi.
Hei papapounamu te mamae o te ture, anei anō te mihi.
Kia pupuri te mana motuhake, te toto, te mana, he mihi nei.
Tangaroa te mana kei piriwhare, erā e ngungu ki tō te mana.
Ko au e pūpū, ko au e ngungu.
Tamanui e whiti!
Edmond was selected to represent Te Piranga – Faculty of Law at the competition after he won the Waikato finals earlier this month.
As part of the 30th annual Māori Law Society conference in Rotorua, the moot was an opportunity for top law students from around the country to compete. Mooting in a team with fellow students Nerys Udy and Mereana Te Whata, Edmond says the win was the result of a combined effort.
"I really want to acknowledge Waikato’s successful mooting legacy, especially Ms Mariana Te Tai (2013 champion and the University’s Māori Liaison Coordinator for Law)," Edmond says. "She makes law school a better experience for everyone. I want to thank Te Piringa and Te Whakahiapo for an honour I will never forget. I left hui-ā-tau feeling like I have a strong sense of direction and purpose. I am excited but sad to leave such a special group of students and staff who have been believing in me from the start."
Unlike other law moots, the Kaupapa Māori Moot incorporates te ao Māori and promotes the use of te reo Māori amidst regular moot formalities. Edmond competed in the preliminary round on Kīngitanga day where he presented in both English and te reo, before advancing to the finals.
Edmond was surprised to place first at the Waikato finals last month. “I didn’t expect to be the overall winner as I was focussing on my own goal – to get the formalities perfect,” he says. “Once the winners of the other categories were announced, I was trying to figure out who had won overall… and then my name was called out.”
Edmond says that these competitions are a great place for networking. “Usually these competitions are sponsored by leading law firms from around the Waikato and this one was sponsored by McCaw Lewis. It’s great to meet professionals and academics, as well as other law students from different year levels and universities.”
But Edmond wasn’t always set on studying law. Upon finishing high school, he was weighing up studying teaching or law. “The decision to study law was ultimately due to my love of reading,” he says.
Going into the final year of his degree, Edmond decided to challenge himself further, entering law competitions and sending his CV to leading law firms. He proved successful in both, winning or placing in all of his competitions and securing several internships and graduate positions.
After graduating at the end of this year, Edmond will begin a summer internship at the Head Office of Corrections which he landed through the Tupu Toa internship programme. After the summer he will begin a graduate position at Meredith Connell.
E kī ana "Ka kuhu au i te ture hei matua mō te pani." Ko taua i tuku hei wero i a mātou tū roia Māori. Puritia tō mana Maori hei raukura e, mō tō mahunga mō ake ake.
Moe mai rā Matua Dickson kua aro ki tua o te arai. Nā tō kōrero hei ihu mō tōku waka. Moe mai rā.
