Rōia Hapori | Community Lawyer - Wellington
An opportunity for an intermediate to senior lawyer to support Māori with access to justice
Nō mātou | About Us
Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley (CLWHV) is dedicated to meeting unmet legal needs within our communities. Our Pou Whirinaki – Services to Māori team focuses of providing services to Māori in accordance with tikanga Māori. We do this through delivering legal education sessions and advocacy support services within the community.
Our service focuses on:
Providing services in areas of law particularly relevant for Māori
Providing services that would otherwise be inaccessible to many Māori
Focusing on the rights and responsibilities of Māori, to ensure that communities can have the reasonable ability to:
Enjoy decent income, housing, education, and health services
Be protected from physical, emotional and cultural harm
Holding the state accountable to properly exercise its powers for Māori.
About the role | Kōrero mō te tūranga
We are looking for a community lawyer to join our small but vibrant Pou Whirinaki team. The successful candidate will be based in the Lower Hutt Office and be responsible for providing legal advice and advocacy to Māori clients in Wellington, Hutt Valley and Porirua. This involves:
Providing initial legal advice to clients in our offices and ongoing assistance or representations to individuals, whānau, hapū, iwi and community organisations
Managing a caseload of legal matters effectively and efficiently
Collaborating with Kaihāpai Hapori in relation to legal advocacy and education
Assisting with the planning and development of Pou Whirinaki’s legal education programme, including attending education sessions at kura kaupapa Māori, marae and other wāhi Māori.
About you | Ō pūmanawa
We are looking for someone who is:
A barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand with a practising certificate (or eligibility to hold one)
At least four years post qualification experience.
Passionate about working with Māori and providing pathways for better outcomes.
Dedicated to improving access to justice for Māori and for whānau, hapū and Iwi
Familiar with applying Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Tikanga Māori and Te Reo Māori in their work
Confident in their ability to work independently out in the community
Able to build and maintain relationships with Māori, Māori service providers and Māori community groups
Flexible with their location of work arrangements.
Is able to drive and holds a minimum of a Restricted Driver License.
What we offer | Ko ngā hua
In return, Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley offers flexible and supportive working
conditions, a strong collective employment agreement, generous leave entitlements and great
colleagues.
Apply now | Tono mai
Please see the link below to the full job description for the role.
If you are interested, please send through your C.V and cover letter outlining your suitability for this role to recruitment@wclc.org.nz.
Applications close at 5pm Monday March 3rd 2025
