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The Auckland University Law Review Symposium: Mai te pō ki te Ao Mārama

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Event description

Mai te pō ki te Ao Mārama (The Transition from Night to the Enlightened World): an update on progress since November 2020

Open for everyone to attend, the annual Auckland University Law Review Symposium is an important initiative and Review tradition. It is an opportunity for students, practitioners, academics and the wider public to come together to learn from and engage with an esteemed guest. This year’s Symposium will be presented by Chief District Court Judge Heemi Taumaunu, and chaired by Professor Julia Tolmie.

The AULR Symposium is free and can be recorded as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity. It will be held on Tuesday 4 October 2022 from 6:00 pm at the University of Auckland Engineering Building 405, Room 460 (Address: 3 Grafton Road, Auckland CBD 1010).

Note: Engineering Building 405, Room 460 is the NEW location. We moved to a larger theatre to accommodate more attendees.

We very much look forward to seeing you on the night! Please register your attendance by securing a free ticket.


The Topic

Te Ao Mārama — Enhancing Justice for All kaupapa (initiative) — is inspired by the concept “mai te pō ki te ao mārama” meaning: “the transition from night to the enlightened world”. The vision imagines a journey towards a better place (the world of light) by ensuring that all people who come to the District Court can seek justice and be seen, heard, understood and meaningfully participate (source). Te Ao Mārama is a judicially led kaupapa that will improve the experience for all people who participate in the court system, including victims and whānau. By working together with iwi and local communities, Te Ao Mārama will be designed to best serve each community’s specific needs.

This approach is a comprehensive response to the longstanding calls for transformation of the District Court and is intended to be inclusive of all cultures and ethnicities and seeks to recognise that modern day Aotearoa New Zealand is a vibrant multi-cultural society. It was announced at the Norris Ward McKinnon Lecture in 2020 (source). This year, his Honour Judge Taumaunu will give an update on the progress of Te Ao Mārama since November 2020.


The Speaker

His Honour Judge Heemi Taumaunu is the Chief District Court Judge and was appointed in 2019.

Born in Gisborne, he is the first Māori to be appointed Chief District Court Judge and is a fluent te reo Māori speaker. His tribal affiliations are Ngāti Pōrou and its sub-tribe Ngāti Konohi, and Ngāi Tahu. He was appointed to the District Court bench in January 2004 and, at a special sitting of the court at Whāngāra Marae in Gisborne for his swearing in, he became the first District Court Judge to swear the oaths of office and allegiance in both English and te reo.

Judge Taumaunu graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1993 at Victoria University of Wellington, and during his studies was awarded the Quentin Baxter Memorial Scholarship and the Ngā Rangatahi Toa Scholarship. He was the first person from Ngāti Konohi to gain a law degree and to practise as a barrister and solicitor.

Judge Taumaunu is regarded as a pioneer of Ngā Kōti Rangatahi o Aotearoa, the Rangatahi Courts, having developed the first Rangatahi Court in Gisborne in 2008. In 2017, he received the prestigious Veillard-Cybulski Award, an international tribute recognising innovative work with children and families in difficulty, through the Rangatahi Courts initiative.

As National Liaison Judge for Rangatahi Courts, he has encouraged fellow judges to set up other marae-based youth courts. His vision is widely regarded for helping to embed the Rangatahi Courts in the New Zealand criminal justice system, encouraging a wider appreciation for the value of culturally responsive justice.

He has been the tangata whenua representative on the Chief Judge’s Advisory Group and has chaired the Kaupapa Māori Advisory Group. In these roles he has been a driving force in encouraging the District Court to embrace tikanga as a way to enhance Māori engagement and confidence in the court (source).


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