Justice Amokura Kawharu has today been sworn in as the first high court judge of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Ngāpuhi descenty.
Ngāti Whātua iwi leader Ngarimu Blair said it was a joyous occasion, and her appointment is a reflection of the foundation laid by seven generations.
“Our ancestors Apihai [Te Kawau], Tamahiki [Reweti], [Paora] Tuhaere mā (and so on), who created Auckland City, who opened up the Kaipara for settlement – that was the hope that we would all work together; we would take the best from our culture; we would take the best from European culture; and bring them together as a new nation.
"Really, this is one of those signals that we're completing those visions of the ancestors.”
He said Justice Kawharu would continue in the footsteps of her father, Sir Hugh Kawharu, who is known for his immense service to his people and work through the Treaty settlement process of returning Takaparawhau (Bastion Point).
“[Sir Hugh Kawharu] comes from a long line of rangatira and all of whom, post-European settlement, tried as best as we could to survive and hold on to our culture, but also work within Pākehā legal frameworks and understandings as well.
“And that's carried on down to Amokura, obviously, she will go to the high court with solid grounding in tikanga Māori which more and more is being interpreted in the courts, and we know with her backbone and her teachings that she has had, that she will make, we believe, good decisions for our country,” Blair said.
Chief Justice Dame Helen Winkelmann announced the appointment of Justice Kawharu last year and also acknowledged Kawharu in her Waitangi address to the people of Ngāpuhi in Waitangi.
“Her swearing in this month will be an historic occasion as she takes the judicial oath as the first Ngāpuhi high court judge,” she said at the time.
Ngāpuhi elder Hone Sadler said Kawharu’s achievement brought back memories of her parents, who he said he were fortunate to have spent time with Sir Hugh when their paths crossed while working at Auckland University.
“Tua atu i tērā, kia kite i a Ngāpuhi, i a Ngāti Whātua e herehere tonu ana i ana whanaungatanga – nā i runga i tērā āhuatanga, e rite kē ana ki tā te tauira i tauiratia mai i te moenga o ngā mātua.”
(Beside that, seeing Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua deepening relations – as if following the example set by her parents.)
Husband Nick Wells said he was "extremely proud" of his wife's appointment and that it was recognition of whānau.
"We've always worked really hard to maintain... each other's careers and a normal life for our boys, and then to have this all come together in this way is a recognition of that mahi.
"It's a recognition of her belief, and actually, I don't mind saying, of her deep, deep thought and thinking in the way that she can do and express that, and have that recognised by others – I'm hugely proud of all of that."
He added: "She's quite used to making decisions, and sometimes making hard ones, but always looking for what is tika (right), for what is pono (true), and the right path ahead for everybody."
Kawharu has three decades of experience under her belt, specialising in commercial and international trade law. She is a former associate professor of Auckland University and was president of the New Zealand Law Commission, completing her five-year term in September 2025.
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