Maori Legal Team

The team

Our Māori Legal Team is led by Tania Winslade, Intermediate Associate (Ngati Awa) and overseen by Mai Chen, Founding Partner.  The team includes:

To discuss how our Māori Legal Team may be of assistance to you or your organisation, please contact either Mai Chen (04 499 8990) or Tania Winslade (04 471 5794).

Our expertise

Chen Palmer has a breadth of experience advising both Māori and non-Māori clients in relation to Māori legal issues.

A distinct point of difference that we pride ourselves on here at Chen Palmer is that we adopt a unique approach to problem solving by using the Māori Law Toolbox approach to the Public Law Toolbox. We use legal tools that only apply to Māori as well as tools from the wider Public Law Toolbox. Using the right legal tool in relation to a Māori legal issue can only come from a thorough knowledge of the legal tools available and experience of when best to use them.

Our team also consists of Māori lawyers who are genuinely passionate about Māori legal issues and working to assist Māori to obtain the best outcomes possible. Not only is our team known for being cutting-edge and the best lawyers, but for being comfortable and knowledgable operating in a Māori environment.

We are also skilled advocates who can mediate, negotiate and successfully represent our clients before all forums, in particular, the Waitangi Tribunal.

However, it is not just Māori individuals, whānau, hapu, iwi, authorities, incorporations, organisations and businesses that seek our expertise on Māori legal issues. We also advise non-Māori affected by Māori legal issues, for example, third parties who may be affected by Treaty settlements.

Our areas of expertise include advising:

  • Crown-Maori relationships - Chen Palmer can advise Māori, the Crown and public agencies on Treaty obligations; and Māori in negotiations or disputes with the Crown.
  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi including advice on all aspects of Treaty settlement, post-settlement and settlement legislation.
  • General public law advice for Māori including incorporations, structure and governance for Māori organisations, iwi and hapu; Resource Management Act issues; and consultation and mandate issues.

Previous work

Some examples of previous work delivered by our Māori Legal Team inclue:

  • Advising Environment Waikato on the impact of the Tainui settlement on their ability to perform their statutory obligations under the Local Government Act and on co-management of the Waikato River with Tainui.
  • Advising Te Uri o Hau on their settlement legislation and on resource management and Treaty of Waitangi claim issues.
  • Representing successful claimants in Waitangi Tribunal proceedings concerning the Crown's intervention at Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

Back to top