I also just want to acknowledge the very tragic and sudden loss of Rawiri Rangitauira earlier this week. Of course, Rawiri was the founding partner of our firm, Rangitauira & Co, it was he and Annette Sykes who first employed me as a solicitor when I returned from London, and he was very much a mentor and a leader for me during my early years in practice.
Generally, these interests will be such that they are unlikely to be affected by a particular piece of litigation and they are commonly disregarded. The preferable course is for a judge to disclose any such interest to parties in a proceeding and to seek the views of parties before making any final decision on recusal.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/Maori-Land-Court-Recusal-Guidelines.pdf (226 kb)
However, others present in the Court objected to this course, and following some further discussions the case was adjourned by Judge Smith with no decision having been made.
Documents/Guides-Templates-Factsheets/MLC-150-years-of-the-Maori-Land-Court.pdf (11 mb)
For example, if there is a nearby water course the Court is likely to require the applicant to make inquiries with the Health Department and the local authority about any issues that such a feature might present in relation to a proposed burial ground.
These experiences can enrich and widen your perspectives, and of course connect you to the global stage. So for anyone who asks me, I say take those opportunities if they present themselves.
The Minister of Māori Development has sought expressions of interest for the next Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court, and will in due course announce the appointment of the next Chief Judge and Chairperson of the Waitangi Tribunal.
The date of the swearing in ceremony will be confirmed in due course and once sworn in she will be based in Wellington.
In addition, in February 2013 during the course of the review, the Ministry for Primary Industries released a further report prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers: Growing the Productive Base of Māori Freehold Land (2013).
Documents/Judges-corner-articles/MLC-2014-Jun-Judges-Corner-Ambler-J.pdf (191 kb)
Of its own motion or by application of a party, the Court may approve an uplift in the hourly rate or fixed fee arrangement at any time during the course of the appointment of the lawyer. Disbursements 17.
Documents/Practice-notes/2023.10.17-MLC-Special-Aid-Practice-Note-FINAL.pdf (367 kb)
Following private practice, he became a senior lecturer at the University of Waikato Law School lecturing in both graduate and post-graduate courses. He has also served as a former president of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa – the New Zealand Māori Law Society.
