Ngā Kaiwhakawā Māori: A Brief History of Māori Judges documents and celebrates the appointments of Māori lawyers to various courts in Aotearoa. The pukapuka focuses on honouring Māori Judges, Te Ao Māori and acknowledging the effect Te Tiriti o Waitangi has had on Māori and the advancement of tikanga within the New Zealand legal system over time.
It commemorates the inaugural gathering of Indigenous judges from Canada, the United States, Pacific Islands, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, held in Hamilton in October 2025 for the International Indigenous Judges Conference.
Mihi
1 – Hei Kupu Whakataki
- Ko ēwhea kōti?
- Ngā Māngai o te Pae
- Ko te aha tētehi kaiwhakawā?
- Ko wai hei kaiwhakawā “Māori”?
- He whakarāpopototanga o ngā whakamāramatanga
2 – Ko Wai te Kaiwhakawā Māori Tuatahi?
- Hei kōrero whakataki
- Te kēhi mō “ngā āteha” i ngā Resident Magistrates Courts
- Te kēhi mō “ngā āteha Māori” i ngā Native Circuit Courts
- Te kēhi mō ngā “kaiwhakawā” o te Native Land Court 1862
- Te whiriwhiri o ēnei miro – Ko wai rā te kaiwhakawā Māori tuatahi?
3 – Te Ao Māori me te Mana Whakawā
- Te whakaaetanga o ngā tikanga nā ngā kōti
- He Poutama: Te pepa rangahau a Te Aka Matua o te Ture
- Te Ao Mārama
- Te whakaoatitanga o ngā kaiwhakawā i te marae
- Te tuatahi o ngā whakataunga reo rua
- Kei Ahotea Te Aho Matua – Te ripoata tuatahi i te reo Māori a te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Te Tāroitanga o te ao Māori me ngā pūnaha kōti o ngā kaiwhakawā
1 – Introduction
- Which courts?
- Heads of Bench
- What is a judge?
- Who is a “Māori” judge?
- Summary of definitions
2 – Who Was the First Māori Judge?
- The case for “assessors” in the Resident Magistrates Courts
- The case for “native assessors” in the Native Circuits Courts
- The case for the 1862 Native Land Court “judges”
- Pulling these threads together – who was the first Māori judge?
3 – Te Ao Māori and the Judiciary
- The recognition of tikanga by the courts
- He Poutama – Law Comission study paper
- Te Ao Marama
- The swearing in of Māori judges at marae
- First bilingual judgment
- Kei Ahotea Te Aho Matua – first Waitangi Tribunal report in te reo Māori
- Navigating te ao Māori and the judiciary
4 – Celebrating the Judicial Pioneers
5 – Roll Call of Māori Judges
6 – Some Final Facts
