Treaty of Waitangi

Te Haa Legal has extensive experience on Treaty of Waitangi matters. The firm acts for a number of claimants before the Waitangi Tribunal, and acts for iwi and other groups in negotiations with the Crown for the settlement of historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. Moana Sinclair is a lead provider in this jurisdiction.

Maori Land Court

Te Haa Legal has developed its practice further in Māori Land Court matters. It has provided advice on matters relating to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993, Maori land trusts, utilisation and development of Māori land, successions, occupation orders, disputes, and governance issues. Moana Sinclair is a lead provider in this jurisdiction.

Mediator in Alternative Disputes Resolution

Moana Sinclair is an experienced mediator in alternative disputes resolution, with the ability to mediate in Māori, English and French. She is an Associate Member of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ).

International Human Rights

Moana Sinclair worked for the NGO Te Kawau Maro which advocated for Indigenous Maori within the Indigenous Peoples caucus in Geneva and New York within the United Nations for 5 years. Then she worked as part of the Secretariat for the Indigenous Peoples caucus.

Returning home after 5 years she continued to work for Maori tribal groups and clusters voluntarily. Then in 2008 she established her own practice in Treaty of Waitangi Litigation, Maori Land Law, Resource Management relevant to Maori clients/claimants and International Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples. She has also served on the Human Rights Review Tribunal for 3 years and worked as a Human Rights Officer for the Human Rights Commission in Wellington.

Interpreter in Te Reo Māori me ōna Tikanga

Moana Sinclair has experience as a Māori language interpreter – interpreting from Māori to English, and English to Māori.

Interpreter in French

Moana Sinclair has a working knowledge of French, both written and oral. She attends frequent French lessons to maintain and develop the language.

Youth Advocate

Moana Sinclair has previous experience as an advocate for the child and currently developing this area of practice.