Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa held its Hui-ā-Tau in Whakatāne from 5 – 8 September 2024 at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. This was the first time our annual conference was hosted by a whare wānanga and included attendance and presentations from prominent Māori lawyers, judges, law students and academics.

The theme for this year’s conference was gifted by Professor Tā Hirini Moko Mead:

Ko te mana tuatahi ko te Tiriti o Waitangi
Ko te mana tuarua ko te Kooti Whenua
Ko te mana tuatoru ko te Mana Motuhake

The conference was well attended by over 400 members of Te Hunga Rōia Māori and included a kapa haka competition by our student members, keynote addresses from Dayle Takitimu, a Māori moot and negotiations competitions, and litigation skills workshops. The Executive was privileged to grant a lifetime membership award to Annette Sykes for her contribution to Māori legal issues for several decades, and acknowledges other recipients of awards: John Te Manihera Chadwick Memorial Award: Tumanako Silveria (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Raukawa, Pare Hauraki); Excellence in Academic Writing: Dr Carwyn Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa), Community Contribution Award: David Stone (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa, Ngai Tahu), Pae Tata Award: Kāhui Legal, Matiu Dickson Award: Te Uranga Lee Belk Winiata (Ngāti Hine, Waikato, Te Kāhui Mounga).