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Mediator list

Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu

Judge Wilson Isaac was appointed to the Māori Land Court in March 1994. He was appointed as Deputy Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court in 1999 and the Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court, and Chair of the Waitangi Tribunal in August 2009.

He is one of the resident Judges for the Tairāwhiti District of the Māori Land Court. He is also a Judge of the High Court of the Cook Islands.

Judge Isaac has presided over the Mohaka ki Ahuriri Inquiry, the Northern South Island Inquiry and National Park District Inquiry, the Napier Hospital and Health Services Report Inquiries. He is currently the Presiding Officer for the Māori Military Veterans Inquiry and the Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Inquiry. Judge Isaac has been involved in many mediations and quasi mediations in the Māori Land Court.

Te Kooti Whenua Māori

Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Judge Carrie Wainwright has been mediating disputes in te ao Māori for more than thirty years.

She was appointed to the Māori Land Court in 2000 and has presided over many inquiries of the Waitangi Tribunal.

Judge Wainwright says it is one of the best aspects of her job that she gets to work with Māori whānau and communities to help them resolve raru and find a path forward i runga i te maru o whanaungatanga me te rangimārie hoki.

Judge Wainwright is comfortable working in te reo Pākehā or te reo Māori or - as is often the case - a combination of the two. She lives between Wellington and the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Judge Michael Doogan was appointed to the Māori Land Court in January 2013.

Based in Wellington, he is one of three resident judges in the Aotea District of the Māori Land Court hearing cases in Palmerston North, Tūrangi, and Taumarunui. He is also the resident Judge of the Chatham Islands which sits within the Te Waipounamu District of the Māori Land Court.

He has considerable experience as a mediator, and prior to Judicial appointment, as counsel he advised and represented parties in mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Judge Doogan is a member of the Waitangi tribunal and the Presiding Officer of the Wai 1750 - North Eastern Bay of Plenty Inquiry. 

Ngāti Kahungunu

Judge Damian Stone was appointed to the Māori Land Court in March 2019. Based in Wellington, he is the resident judge for Tākitimu, but also provides support for hearings around the country.

Before being appointed to the Māori Land Court, he was the Managing Partner of a specialist Māori law firm where he acted for a number of Māori clients around the country on a range of issues, including Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations, Waitangi Tribunal claims, commercial negotiations and contract drafting, corporate and commercial law and litigation. He also worked for a large national law firm for 10 years and was also General Counsel for Te Ohu Kai Moana.

Judge Stone has completed over 50 mediations for Māori Land Court, Environment Court and Waitangi Tribunal matters. He has successfully helped parties reach resolution over issues relating to succession, Marae governance, trust matters, occupation rights, resource consents and various commercial arrangements.

Judge Stone is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and is also a former Tūmuaki Tāne of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa.

Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu

Judge Aidan Warren was appointed to the Māori Land Court in September 2021. Based in Hamilton, he is the resident judge for the Aotea District of the Māori Land Court hearing cases in Whanganui, Te Hāwera and New Plymouth.

He is an accredited mediator with extensive experience in mediation and dispute resolution, having been involved in mediations both in Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoa, both as a mediator and trainer for several years.

Judge Warren is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and is also a former Tūmuaki Tāne of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa.

Tuhoe, Whakatohea, Ngai Tai ki Torere, Ngati Manawa, Ngati Maniapoto, Tainui, Te Aupouri 

Judge Te Kani Williams was appointed to the Māori Land Court in September 2021. He is one of the resident Judges for the Taitokerau District of the Māori Land Court hearing cases in Whāngarei and Auckland.

He has broad experience, doing Criminal work in the District and High Court, as well as Residential and Commercial Property, Relationship Property, Trusts, Employment, Commercial, and Civil litigation in the District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.

Much of his legal career has been spent focusing on Māori Legal issues representing hapū and iwi and governance bodies. Judge Williams also has considerable experience in mediations in the employment law sector and through High Court appointments.

Judge Alana Thomas is a Judge of the Māori Land Court, appointed in 2023, and sits within the Aotea and Waikato-Maniapoto districts. Her Honour is also a member of the Waitangi Tribunal.

Judge Thomas graduated from the University of Auckland in 2008. Whilst studying, Judge Thomas was the President of the Māori Law Students Association and an active member of Waipapa Taumata Rau, the Māori Students Association.

During her legal career, Judge Thomas represented several iwi and hapū throughout New Zealand on matters relating to the rights of te iwi Māori, and more specifically, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the environment, the land, the sea, tikanga Māori and te reo Māori.

Judge Thomas is a strong advocate for the promotion of te reo Māori and has been passionate in her pursuit to ensure te reo Māori is recognised and used in the law.

LLB, Mgmt. (Dispute Resolution), FAMINZ (Arb/ Med), Ko te Pou Aho Matua Whāngai Kairangi MĀADRO 

Denise is an independent accredited mediator with over 30 years’ experience. Denise has committed her career to advancing the dispute resolution profession and developing New Zealand’s unique approach to resolving disputes based on Te Tiriti principles and matauranga māori.

As a founding member of the Māori Allied Dispute Resolution Organisation (MĀADRO), Denise has demonstrated her commitment to working with whānau by developing training, accreditation, and support systems for Māori mediators. Denise has a law degree and a masters degree in dispute resolution.

She is a firm believer in dispute resolution and the power it has for reconciliation and innovation. 

Waikato, Ngāti Te Ata

Kylee joined McCaw Lewis in 2018 and was appointed to the role of Director in October 2023. Based in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton Kylee specialises in Māori land and Resource Management matters.

She has extensive expertise in facilitation and dispute resolution involving Ahu Whenua Trusts, Māori Incorporations, Whānau Trusts, and Beneficial Owners of Māori Land across Aotearoa.

Kylee’s approach is highly collaborative, working with clients to understand their immediate and long-term goals. She is compassionate and approaches matters in a calm and considered manner, with specialist expertise in weaving the law and tikanga to whenua Māori and resource management matters.

Kylee has served as a lecturer at the University of Waikato teaching Māori land law and Law and Societies and is a trustee of Community Law Waikato and the McCaw Lewis Foundation.

Ngāti Kahungunu

Te Kura (TK) Pohatu was approved as a mediator in July 2026. Based in Heretaunga Hastings, TK supports parties to resolve disputes through respectful dialogue and collaborative problem solving, helping achieve practical and sustainable outcomes for whanau.

Drawing on extensive leadership experience and a background in people management, he brings a balanced and impartial approach to mediation. TK is committed to building understanding, strengthening relationships, and creating opportunities for parties to work together towards mutually acceptable resolutions.

Te Kura's practice is grounded in the values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and fairness, ensuring participants feel respected, supported, and heard throughout the mediation process.

Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngā Rauru Kītahi, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa

Hayden Potaka is an independent mediator, facilitator, and governance professional with extensive experience in Māori land matters.

He has led Māori Land Court appointed facilitation processes, Meetings of Owners, and governance appointments, supporting whānau, trustees, and landowners to resolve complex issues through tikanga informed, consent based processes. 

Hayden combines practical knowledge of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 with governance experience across Māori trusts and organisations.

His approach is impartial, relationship-focused, and grounded in whanaungatanga, rangatiratanga, and enduring solutions that strengthen whānau relationships and the future of whenua Māori.

Jerome Te Paa is a Registered Property Valuer based in Auckland and is working towards accreditation as a mediator.

He holds governance and advisory roles across several iwi and hapū entities, with experience spanning governance, commercial strategy, Public Works Act matters, property negotiations, and valuation advisory work. 

As a member of the New Zealand Institute of Valuers, Jerome brings a practical understanding of both commercial and Māori perspectives. His grounding in Te Ao Māori, combined with governance and property expertise, supports a balanced and constructive approach to dispute resolution.

Waikato-Maniapoto

Kāwhia moana, Kāwhia kai, Kāwhia tangata.

Glenn Tootill is a Director at Maurea Law specialising in Māori land matters. He has extensive experience across the Māori Land Court, the Waitangi Tribunal and Māori governance, including serving as negotiator for Ngāti Maniapoto's Treaty settlement, and acting as advisor to its post-settlement governance entity, Te Nehenehenui. Glenn previously worked in the public service at Te Tai Ōhanga (The Treasury) and Te Tari Ture o te Karauna (Crown Law).  

Glenn is currently a Co-Chair of Community Law Centres o Aotearoa.  He is a former Tumuaki Tāne of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, and chaired its Te Ture Whenua Māori Komiti.