Working for the Tribunal

Working for the Waitangi Tribunal offers the opportunity to contribute to the further development of New Zealand’s cultural identity and the achievement of a just, fair and equal relationship for all New Zealanders.

The Waitangi Tribunal Business Unit provides a comprehensive range of administrative and support services to the Tribunal. These are grouped into five main areas of work: registry; inquiry support; research and inquiry facilitation; report writing and editorial assistance; and corporate and judicial support.

Current Vacancies

For a list of current vacancies at the Waitangi Tribunal Business Unit visit the Ministry of Justice website .

Registrarial Services

The registrarial section is responsible for assessing applications to register and amend claims. Where claims and amendments satisfy the criteria of the Treaty of Waitangi Act, registrarial staff prepare their judicial registration. They advise the Tribunal, claimants, the Crown and members of the public on the Tribunal’s formal procedures, statutory powers and official records. They assist presiding officers and the Chairperson in the drafting of directions. They also case-manage inquiries granted urgency for immediate hearing.

Registrarial staff oversee the record of inquiry for all claims and Tribunal inquiries, which contains all the procedural and evidential documentation placed on the Tribunal’s public record. They also furnish statutory advice to the Legal Services Agency so as to inform its decisions concerning legal aid funding to claimants.

Inquiry Support Services

The claims coordination section provides all the necessary logistical and administrative support to enable the smooth functioning of judicial conferences, hearings and Tribunal member meetings. Claims coordinators assist claimants and all participants in a Tribunal inquiry to engage effectively with official Tribunal events. They also maintain and distribute all documents filed on the Tribunal’s record of inquiry and provide copies of requested documents to members of the public.

Qualifications & Technical Skills

• A relevant tertiary qualification and/or equivalent event management, administrative and financial experience is required for this position

Experience

• Possession of a full and clean driver’s licence is essential
• Able and willing to travel away from Wellington
• Experience of working with Māori groups and organisations
• Committed to teamwork and customer focus
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple documents and information
• Problem solving
• Demonstrable experience and a history of achievement in event management, particularly:
  
• Being a member of a multi-skilled team and supporting team members;
• Preparing financial estimates for Tribunal Hearings, Conferences and Report Writing Meetings;
• Arranging and preparing itineraries for travel and accommodation;
• Implementing the judicial events organised;
• A reasonable general knowledge of and respect for Te Reo and Tikanga Māori.

Research and Inquiry Facilitation Services

The research section undertakes two principal functions. First, it helps to compile the evidential base for inquiry, which in district inquiries is focused mainly on historical research and supporting source material. It does so by assisting Tribunals to plan and implement casebook research programmes that produce the majority of the technical evidence required for a district inquiry to commence.

This involves maintaining a close working relationship with claimants and the Crown and with the other agencies involved in research on historical claims, particularly the Crown Forestry Rental Trust, so as to ensure a co-ordinated approach to research within the sector. The Tribunal’s research staff help to identify claim issues requiring research and to design casebook research projects and programmes. They also undertake Tribunal research commissions and project manage commissioned external contractors.

The second main function is inquiry facilitation. Research staff facilitate the effective participation of all parties through all inquiry stages up to the close of hearings. They advise and assist Tribunal presiding officers to conduct fair and efficient inquiry processes, especially for the filing and leading of evidence. They advise claimants and the Tribunal on all evidential matters, and assist Tribunal panels to determine issues for inquiry, in particular through Tribunal statements of issues.

Qualifications & Technical Skills

• A tertiary education to at least Masters level in history or Māori studies
• An alternative tertiary qualification to at least Masters level in other disciplines, in particular resource management, law and social science, will be considered if the applicant has appropriate research skills

Experience

• Proven professional experience in primary historical research, or equivalent relevant research experience in other disciplinary fields
• A thorough working knowledge of the principal archival repositories for researching New Zealand history and in particular Treaty-related topics
• A track record of published and/or commissioned research to scholarly standard in history or other relevant fields
• Proven experience in using information technology in day to day work practices, especially in composing large reports and including the effective accessing of online research resources
• Practical experience in group facilitation and project leadership
• Experience of working with Māori groups and organisations

Report Writing and Editorial Services

The report writing section assists Tribunal panels to prepare their reports. Its staff are supplemented when needed from the research team and by contractors, especially to enable the rapid completion of high priority and urgent inquiries.

Report writers help Tribunal panels to plan, prepare and finalise their reports in a timely manner. They prepare discussion papers, draft assigned sections of a report for consideration by the members and advise Tribunal panels on all the evidence filed on the record of inquiry and given by witnesses at hearings.

When the report is ready, the editorial section undertakes its technical production and oversees its publication.

Qualifications & Technical Skills

The qualification requirements for the position are:

• A tertiary education to at least Masters degree level in history or Māori studies
• A tertiary qualification to at least Masters degree level in other disciplines, in particular resource management, law and social science, will be considered if the applicant has appropriate research and writing skills

Experience

• Sound practical experience in project leadership and planning
• Substantial experience as a professional historian or researcher in a relevant field, including experience of primary historical research or equivalent relevant research in other disciplinary fields
• A thorough working knowledge of the principal and specialist archival repositories for researching New Zealand history
• An established track record of contributing, to scholarly standards, to major writing projects (such as published and/or commissioned research) in history or other relevant fields
• Proven experience in using information technology in day to day work practices, especially in composing large reports and including the effective accessing of online research resources
• Experience in facilitating meetings to agreed outcomes
• Experience in project management and leadership, in particular planning the inputs of many team members to meet deadlines and quality standards
• Experience of working with Māori groups and organisations.

Corporate and Judicial Support Services

The support services staff provide administrative, accounts and other corporate services to staff and members. Specialist positions provide financial, communications, library, te reo Māori and IT support.

The judicial support team in the Chief Judge’s chambers provides legal and administrative services to the Chief Judge and other Māori Land Court judges, covering their dual roles in the Court and the Tribunal.

Communications and Information 

The librarian, information services coordinator is responsible for responding to requests for information from the public, interested organisations and Parliament. The communications advisor is responsible for liaising with the media and managing communication matters. Together they maintain the Tribunal’s website.