Amokura Kawharu has been sworn in as a judge in the High Court, marking a historic first for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

The milestone was celebrated today at Waipapa Marae by Kawharu’s iwi, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and Ngāpuhi.

“He whakanui, he whakamānawa i tana ekenga ki tēnei tūru nui i roto i te hai kōti hei kaiwhakawā. Taku mōhio he tuatahitanga tēnei mō Ngāti Whātua,” says Joe Pihema of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

The gathering brought the two iwi together, giving whānau the opportunity, in accordance with tikanga Māori, to recognise her achievement.

A jurist and legal scholar, Kawharu was previously President of the New Zealand Law Commission and a Professor of Law at the University of Auckland, specialising in commercial and international trade law, with a strong focus on the place of tikanga Māori within New Zealand’s legal system.

Kua hoki anō te manukura ki tōna kōhanga

Her husband, Nick Wells, says the appointment follows decades of work across legal practice, academia, and law reform.

“It’s the end of a long [journey] from our legal studies.”

He describes the occasion as a homecoming of sorts for Kawharu, whose whānau has a long history at Waipapa Taumata Rau.

“When she started here at Auckland University we called it the family firm, [because] Tā Hugh [Kawharu] worked here, her sisters have worked here as academics as well and her mother was one of the early fine arts students here at university,” he explains.

“There’s a fine legacy of the Kawharu whānau of deep learning but also sharing their knowledge for the benefit of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, o Māori katoa.”

Wells says her appointment is significant not only for her whānau but for the judiciary as a whole.

“[Having more Māori] adds depth to the High Court, and also that’s a depth of understanding. With [Kawharu’s] time at the Law Commission, the Law Commission produced an in-depth paper on the place of tikanga in the law,” he says.

“It is a depth of understanding, I suppose, of te ao Māori of the judiciary, and the judiciary of te ao Māori. She becomes a bridge to achieve both of those.”

He huarahi i takahia e tōna pāpā

Tributes also reflected on her father, Tā Hugh Kawharu, who Pihema regards as one of the great leaders of Waipapa Taumata Rau, and a trailblazer for the iwi’s legal claims and treaty matters.

“Koia te ahorangi o Waipapa me te mana o tērā tangata nāna i kōkiri i ngā kerēme o Ngāti Whātua i ōna wā, nāna anō hoki i arataki i ngā mahi nui o te Poari Matua o Ngāti Whātua.”

Pihema adds that while the appointment is historic, it is not unexpected.

“Te ekenga o te wahine nei, ehara i te ohorere ki a mātau, i te mea i roto i a ia ko te toto rangatira.”

He hopes Kawharu will inspire future generations.

“Kia tū hei tauira tēnei wahine nui hei tauira ki wāna uri, ki ngā uri o Ngāti Whātua, ki ngā uri o Ngāpuhi kia kite rātou i tēnei mahi āna me te whakaaro ake ā tōna wā, tēnā pea ko ahau hoki tērā ka rewa ki ngā taumata teitei.”