Ngā Kaiwhakawā
Our judges

Ngāti Makino, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maru

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Matua Tuarua Craig Coxhead ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 25 o Hānuere 2008 ,ā, i tohua hei Kaiwhakawā Matua Tuarua I te marama o Mei 2024.

Kei Rotorua ia e mahi ana, ko ia te Kaiwhakawā o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Te Waiariki.

I puta te ihu o Kaiwhakawā Matua Tuarua Coxhead mai i Te Piringa i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato me tōna Tohu Paetahi Mātauranga Aronui i muri mai ka whiwhi ia i tōna Tāhū Paetahi Ture, ā, ka whakaaetia atu ia ki te Kooti Teitei i te tau 1995. I muri mai ka oti i a ia tōna Tohu Paerua Ture i te tau 2000.

I mua i tōna tohutanga, i mahi a Kaiwhakawā Matua Tuarua Coxhead i roto i ngā umanga ture tūmataiti me McCaw Lewis Chapman otirā i ngā whanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ngā take whenua Māori, taihara me te kōkiri whakawā take ā-iwi. Whai muri i te mahi i rō umanga tūmataitinga, i uru ia hei pūkenga matua i Te Piringa i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato e ako ana i ngā akoranga paetahi me te paerua. Ko ia anō he perehitini o mua o Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa.

He mema a Kaiwhakawā Matua Tuarua Coxhead nō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, ko ia te āpiha whakahaere mō Te Paparahi o Te Raki. I te tū 2011 i tohua ia hei Kaiwhakawā Kooti Matua i Niue, i te tau 2016 hei Kaiwhakawā o te Kooti Matua i Ngā Kuki Airani, ā, inā tata i te tau 2018, hei Kaiwhakawā Matua o Niue.

Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Wilson Isaac ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 11 o Maehe 1994, ā, i tohua hei Kaiwhakawā Matua Tuarua nō te Kooti Whenua Māori i te tau 1999, hei Kaiwhakawā Matua nō te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 13 o Ākuhata 2009. Ko ia tētahi Kaiwhakawā mō Te Rohe o Te Tairāwhiti mō te Kooti Whenua Māori.  He Kaiwhakawā anō ia nō te Kōti Teitei o Niue me te Kōti Teitei o Ngā Kuki Airani. I te rā toru tekau o Apireira rua mano rua tekau ma toru i whakanuia e Kaiwhakawā Isaac i tōna huringa tau whitu tekau me te whakatutuki ai i tana wārati hei Kaiwhakawā Matua o te Kooti me te Heamana o Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti.

Ko Kaiwhakawā Wilson Isaac i whakahaere te Uiui mō Mōhaka ki Ahuriri, te Uiui mō Te Taha Whakararo o Te Waipounamu me te Uiui mō te Takiwā Pāka ā-Motu, Te Uiui mō Ngā Rawa Wai Māori me Ngā Uiui mō te Pūrongo Ratonga Hōhipera me te Hauora o Ahuriri. Ko ia te āpiha whakahaere mō te Uiui mō Ngā Ika-a-Whiro Māori me te Uiui a Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki te Toenga o Ngā Kerēme Tawhito.

I tohua a Carrie Wainwright ki te pae kaiwhakawā Kooti Whenua Māori i te 17 o Noema 2000.

Nāna i whakahaere ngā ruku-tātari i ngā rohe o Te Wairarapa ki Tararua me Whanganui me te whakahaere i ngā ruku-tātari kōhukihuki maha, otirā e pā ana ki ngā kaupapahere whakataunga Tiriti a te Karauna. Ko te otinga o ēnei ko te Pūrongo Hātepe Whakataunga mō Tāmaki Makaurau 2007. Nāna hoki i ārahi i te kōtitanga a te Taraipiunara i te Takutai Moana i te tau 2004.

I noho a Kaiwhakawā Wainwright i ētahi atu mana whakahaere mō ngā tau maha (Kooti ā-Rohe, Taraipiunara Whakamaru Hekenga) engari i hoki ki Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te Kooti Whenua Māori i te tau 2017. E whakawā ana ia inā tata nei i ngā uiui e pā ana ki te rapu rongoā, otirā ngā tono mō ngā tūtohutanga paihere e pā ana ki ngā kaikerēme i Te Hiku o Te Ika me Te Wairarapa.

Ko Te Rau o Te Tika: the Justice Inquiry te ruku-tātari hou o te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi e noho nei a Kaiwhakawā Wainwright. I aro pū te wāhanga tuatahi o tēnei ruku-tātari ā-kaupapa ki ā ngā mahi a te Karauna mō te tuku pūtea tautoko ki ngā kaikerēme e tū nei ki mua i te Rōpū Whakamana. I te Pēpuere o 2023, whakaputa ai a te Rōpū Whakamana i tā rātou ripoata, Whakatika ki Runga. 

E tino matatau ana a Kaiwhakawā Wainwright ki te takawaenga i te Kooti Whenua Māori me Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Whakaue

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Stephanie Milroy ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 9 o Hepetema 2002.

Kei Kirikiriroa ia e mahi ana, ko ia tētahi o ngā Kaiwhakawā e rua o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Te Waipounamu, e whakawā ana i ngā kēhi i Ōtautahi, Waihōpai me Ōtepoti.

I mua i tōna tohutanga, he pouako ture matua a Kaiwhakawā Milroy i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, ā, he hoa patui teina ia i Harkness Henry and Co, Barristers and Solicitors. I a ia anō te tūranga rōia tūhura matua i mua i te Tari Take Arumoni i Kirikiriroa.

He tino whānui ngā mōhio o Kaiwhakawā Milroy mō te Tiriti me ngā take ture Māori nā ōna rangahau me āna mahi pūkenga. I kauhau anō me te whakaputa i ngā tuhipānui maha mō ngā take Māori rerekē. He mema ia nō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, ko ia te Heamana Tuarua mai i te tau 2010 ki te 2015.

Te Ātiawa

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Sarah Reeves ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 10 o Tīhema 2010. I te 24 o Noema 2021, i tohua a Kaiwhakawā Reeves hei Heamana Tuarua o Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I te 1 o Mei 2023, i noho ia hei Heamana Whakakapi.

Kei Te Whanganui-a-Tara e mahi ana, ko ia tētahi o ngā Kaiwhakawā e rua o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Te Waipounamu, e whakawā ana i ngā kēhi i Ōpawa, Whakatū me Rēkohu.

I puta a Kaiwhakawā Reeves me te Tohu Paetahi Ture mai i Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou, ā, ka whakaaetia atu ia ki te Kōti i te tau 1985. I mahi ia i Aotearoa, i Rarotonga, i Hingapoa me Hongipua e aro ana ki te ture arumoni me ngā rawa. I mua i tana tohunga, ko ia te rōia matua mō Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau.

Ko Kaiwhakawā Reeves te Heamana Whakakapi mō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, nāna i whakahaere i ngā uiui e pā ana ki te MV Rena, te mana whakatau kerēme o Ngā Puhi, te mana whakatau kerēme o Ngāti Wai, me te mana whakatau kerēme o Ngāti Maniapoto. Ko ia te āpiha whakahaere mō te uiui i te Mana Wahine.

I tua atu i ōna tūranga onāianei i te Kooti Whenua Māori me Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, i tohua anō a Kaiwhakawā Reeves hei Kaiwhakawā Kōti Teitei i Niue i te tau 2014.

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Michael Doogan ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 25 o Hānuere 2013.

Kei Te Whanganui-a-Tara ia e mahi ana, e whakarato tautoko ana ia mō ngā kōtitanga i te Kooti Whenua Māori o Te Rohe o Aotea me te whakawā i ngā kēhi i Taumarunui, Tūrangi, Te Papaioea me Porirua.

I puta te ihu o Kaiwhakawā Doogan i Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa me te Tohu Paetahi o ngā Toi Whānui i te tau 1983 ka whiwhi anō ia i tōna Tohu Paetahi Ture mai i Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou i te tau 1986. I tīmata tana mahi hei kaimahi tari mā tētahi Kaiwhakawā i Kirikiriroa i te tau 1986, ā, i mahi ia roto umanga ture tūmataiti me te kaunihera i Te Whanganui-a-Tara i mua i te neke ki Ingarangi i te tau 1990. I waenga i te tau 1990 me te 1995 i mahi ia rō umanga ture tūmataiti i Ingarangi i mua i te hoki mai ki Aotearoa ki tētahi tūranga i roto i te rōpū Ture Tūmatanui me Simpson Grierson i Te Whanganui-a-Tara. I te tau 1998 i whakauru i ki te Rōpū Take Tiriti me Ngā Ture o Tāwāhi i Te Tari Ture o te Karauna.

I te tau 2005 i tīmata a Kaiwhakawā Doogan ki te mahi hei poutoko ture i Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Hei poutoko ture, ko Kaiwhakawā Doogan te rōia mō ngā tūmomo kiritaki Māori maha i te Kooti me Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Te Whānau a Apanui

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Mīharo Armstrong ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 1 o Ākuhata 2014.

Kei Whāngārei ia e mahi ana, ko ia tētahi o ngā Kaiwhakawā o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Te Taitokerau, e whakawā ana i ngā kēhi i Kaitāia me Kaikohe.

I puta a Kaiwhakawā Armstrong me te Tohu Paetahi Ture mai i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato i te tau 2001, ā, ka whakaaetia atu ia ki te Kooti i taua tau anō. Kātahi ka neke ia ki Rānana ki reira mahi ai hei kaiāwhina ture i roto i ngā hononga arumoni, ngā tangohanga me ngā pekerapu i mua i te neke ki tētahi rōpū ture i rō whare me te London Borough of Enfield, ā, i reira tū ai ia i mua i Ngā Kooti Takiwā. I hoki ia ki Aotearoa i te tau 2004 ka mahi i Rotorua i reira ka uru hei hoa pātui i Aurere Law i te tau 2010.

He tino whānui ngā mōhio o Kaiwhakawā Armstrong mō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te Kooti Whenua Māori. I mahi ia mā ngā rangatira whenua Māori, ngā tarahiti, ngā kaporeihana, ngā rūnanga whakahaere ā-iwi, ngā whānau, hapū me ngā Iwi. E matatau anō ia ki ētahi atu wāhanga o te ture, ā, i tū ia i te Kooti ā-Rohe, Kooti Teitei, Kooti Pīra me te Kooti Matua o Niu Tīreni. I tua atu i tōna tūranga i te Kooti Whenua Māori, i te tau 2018, i tohua a Kaiwhakawā Armstrong hei Kaiwhakawā nō te Kooti Matua o Niue. I te tau 2021, i tohua a Kaiwhakawā Armstrong hei Kaiwhakawā nō te Kooti Matua o Kuki Airini.

Waikato, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Terena Wara ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 1 o Maehe 2019.

Ko ia tētahi o ngā Kaiwhakawā o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Te Waiariki me te whakawā i ngā kēhi i Rotorua me Whakatāne.

I puta a Kaiwhakawā Wara me te Tohu Paetahi Ture mai i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato i te tau 2006, ā, ka whakaaetia atu ia ki te Kooti i taua tau anō. I mua i te tohu i a ia ki te Kooti Whenua Māori, he tumuaki a Kaiwhakawā Wara nō Tū Pono Legal, ā, ko ia tētahi o ngā mea i tīmata i te tau 2014. I a ia e mahi rōia ana ko tōna tohungatanga ko te whakatau i ngā take ture Māori, te mahi mā ngā kiritaki puta noa i ngā tūmomo take i ngā mahi rōia noa me te kōkiri take ki te kooti. He whānui ngā mōhio o Kaiwhakawā Wara i Te Tiriti i Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te Kooti Whenua Māori, te mahi mā ngā whānau, hapū, iwi hoki.

He mema hoki a Kaiwhakawā Wara nō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Ngāti Kahungunu

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā a Damian Stone ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 25 o Maehe 2019.

Kei Te Whanganui-a-Tara ia e mahi ana, ko ia te kaiwhakawā o Te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Takitimu e whakawā ana i ngā kēhi i Heretaunga.

I mua i te tohu i a ia ki te Kooti Whenua Māori, ko Kaiwhakawā Damian Stone te Hoa Pātui Whakahaere o Kāhui Legal, he umanga ture mātanga Māori. I roto i āna mahi i mahi ia mā ngā kiritaki Māori puta noa i te motu mō ngā momo take whānui, tae atu ki ngā whakariterite whakataunga Tiriti o Waitangi, ngā kerēme o Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ngā whakariterite arumoni me te tuhi kirimana hukihuki, te ture rangatōpū me te arumoni me te kōkiri take ki te kooti. I mua i te uru hei pātui mō Kāhui Legal, i mahi ia mā tētahi umanga ture ā-motu nui mō te 10 tau, ā, ko ia te Rōia Matua mō Te Ohu Kai Moana. Ko ia te perehitini o mua o Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, he mema o mua nō te Hazardous substances and New Organisms Committee, te Advertising Standards Complaints Board me te mema o mua o te New Zealand Law Society Standards Committee. Ko ia hoki te heamana o mua o tētahi tarahiti mātauranga o tōna kāinga a Porirua.

He mema hoki a Kaiwhakawā Stone nō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Ngāti Kahungungu, Kai Tahu

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Rachel Mullins ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 30 o Hepetema 2021. Kei Kirikiriroa ia e mahi ana, ko ia tētahi o ngā Kaiwhakawā e rua o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Waikato-Maniapoto, e whakawā ana i ngā kēhi i Kirikiriroa, Te Kuiti me Hauraki.

I mua i te tohu i a ia, ko Kaiwhakawā Mullins te Tumuaki o tōna ake umanga ture e aro ana ki te ture whenua Māori me te Mātauranga Māori. Ko Kaiwhakawā Mullins anō tētahi o ngā Tiamana Tuarua o te Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal. I mau i te whakatū i tāna ake umanga, i mahi a Kaiwhakawā Mullins i tētahi umanga ture i Kirikiriroa e whakahaere ana i ngā mahi Whenua Māori me te mahi mā ngā kiritaki i roto i Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ngā whakariterite whakataunga Tiriti me ngā wenewene rawa.

He pia whakahī i puta i Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtākou i tīmata a Kaiwhakawā Mullins ki te mahi i roto i te ture i te Ngai Tahu Māori Law Centre o Ōtepoti. E tino kaingākau ana te Community Law ki a ia, ā, ko ia te Mema Poari Māori Motuhake ki te Community Law Centres of Aotearoa National Board. 

He Tumuaki Wahine o Te Hunga Roia Māori o Aotearoa o mua a Kaiwhakawā Mullins, ā, i noho ia ki te rōpū whakahaere i ngā momo tūranga rerekē mō ngā tau maha.

E toru ngā tamariki ā Kaiwhakawā Mullins rāua ko tōna hoa tāne a Luke me ngā mahi nui ki te whaiwhai haere i ā rātou mahi kura rerekē me ngā hākinakina.

He mema hoki a Kaiwhakawā Mullins nō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Pākehā, Cherokee Nation

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Aidan Warren ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 30 o Hepetema 2021. Kei Kirikiriroa ia e mahi ana, ko ia te Kaiwhakawā o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Aotea e whakawā ana i ngā kēhi i Whanganui, Te Hāwera me Ngāmotu.

I puta a Kaiwhakawā Warren me tētahi Tohu Ture Paerua mai i Te Piringa – Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato i te tau 2000. I te mahi ia roto i tētahi umanga ture tūmataiti mō ngā tau tata ki te 22 i tētahi umanga ture i Kirikiriroa, a McCaw Lewis. I te tau 2008 i tohua ia hei Hoa Pātui, ā, i muri mai hei Tumuaki i te manatōpūtaga o te umanga i te tau 2011. Ko ia hoki te Tumuaki Whakahaere mai i te tau 2011 ki te 2021.

Ko ia te rōia mō ngā kiritaki Māori maha puta noa i te motu mō ngā tūmomo take maha e whai pānga ana ki ngā whānau, hapū, iwi hoki. He tohunga ia ki ngā take ture Māori tae atu ki ngā whakataunga Tiriti, ngā tohutohu rūnanga whakahaere ā-iwi mā ngā rōpū ā-iwi, whakahaere rawa whenua, Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi me ngā wenewene ture iwi tūmatanui, te tū ki mua i ngā momo Kooti.

He Kaitakawaenga whai tohu, matatau hoki ia, ā, i roto ia i ngā mahi takawaenga i Aotearoa me Hāmoa, hei kaitakawaenga me te kaiako mō ngā tau maha. He Tumuaki Tāne o mua ia o He Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa.

Ko Ahorangi Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren te hoa rangatira o Kaiwhakawā Warren. He Kaiwhakawā o mua o te Kooti Matua o Hāmoa ia. Tokowhā ā rāua tamariki, ko Tatiana, ko Phillip, ko Mahinaarangi me ko Misiviliamu.

He mema hoki a Kaiwhakawā Warren nō Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Tūhoe, Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tai ki Tōrere, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, Te Aupōuri

I tohua a Kaiwhakawā Te Kani Williams ki te Kooti Whenua Māori i te 30 o Hepetema 2021. Ko ia tētahi o ngā Kaiwhakawā o te Kooti Whenua Māori mō Te Rohe o Te Taitokerau e whakawā ana i ngā kēhi i Whāngārei me Tāmaki Makaurau.

Nō Tūhoe, Ngāti Manawa me Ngāti Maniapoto te whaea o Kaiwhakawā Williams, ā, nō Te Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tai ki Tōrere, Tainui, me Te Aupōuri tōna matua pāpā. He kaiako raua, ā, nā tērā i waimarie a Kaiwhakawā Williams ki te pakeke mai i ngā wāhi pērā i a Te Whetū, Kāwhia, Pātea me Rūātoki. Nā tana haere ki Te Kura ō Rūātoki i akona ia ki te reo Māori i mua i tānā haerenga ki Tāmaki Makaurau ki Mt Albert Grammar School kura ai, ā, e rua noa iho rāua ngā tauira i ako i te reo Māori i te kura tamatāne i roto i te tokomaha o te 1,200. I a ia i reira i waimarie ia ki te tākaro i ngā hākinakina maha i roto i ngā kapa hākinakina toa o te kura (Poiuka, Tēnehi, Poipātū, Hoe Waka me te Whutupōro), ā, i uru ia ki te Kapa Whutupōro Kura Tuarua o Tāmaki Makaurau i te tau 1984.

I muri mai ka haere a Kaiwhakawā Williams ki Te Whare Takiura o Tāmaki Makaurau (koirā tōna ingoa i mua) mō te rua tau kātahi ka uru ki te ako i te Kaikaute Whaitohu, i mua i te whakawhiti ki Waipapa Taumata Rau ki te ako i ngā tohu o te Ture me te Toi, ā, ka puta ia me tōna Tohu Paetahi Toi i te tau 1994 me te Tohu Paetahi Ture i te tau 1995. I uru ia ki te umanga ture o C.J.McGuire i te tau 1994, ā, ka uru hei Rōia Tuakana i taua umanga i te tau 1997 i mua i te tohutanga o te Tumuaki, ā, C.J.McGuire ki te pae whakawā o te Kooti ā-Rohe i Rotorua. Kātahi ka whakatōpū taua umanga ki a DE Wackrow i te tau 1997 kia puta ko Wackrow & Co, ā, ka uru ia hei hoa hare kōtui i taua umanga i te tau 2002 e mōhiotia ana ināianei ko Wackrow Williams & Davies Limited. I uru te Umanga ture ki ngā whiringa toa i Ngā Tohu Ture o Aotearoa i ngā wā e toru, ā, i whakawhiwhia ki ngā tohu e rua i ngā tohu reo Māori o Aotearoa. Nā ngā umanga ture i uru atu ia i whai wāhi atu ia ki ngā mahi ture tino arowhānui, i uru ki ngā mahi Taihara i te Kooti ā-Rohe me te Kooti Teitei, me te whakatipu i tētahi umanga ture e pā ana ki Ngā Rawa Kāinga me te Arumoni Whenua, Rawa Hononga, Ngā Tarahiti, Whai Mahi, Arumoni, Kōkiri Take Ture ā-Tangata i te Kooti ā-Rohe, Kooti Teitei me te Kooti Pīra. Engari, i aro ētahi wāhanga nui o tōna ara mahi ture ki ngā take Ture Māori i te Kooti Whenua Māori, Te Rōpū Whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi me ngā whakariterite whakataunga i mahi ia mā ngā rōpū mana whakahaere ā-hapū, ā-iwi maha. I taua wā anō ia i waimarie tonu ia i roto i ana mahi hākinakina i roto i te whutupōro, me te uru ki te kapa NZ Touch Barbarians Masters i toa i a rātou te Whakataetae ā-Kiwa i Whītī i te tau 2013 me te tākaro whutupōro mō Ponsonby i te whakataetae Taumāhekeheke Pakeke o te Ao i te tau 2017 i reira ka toa i a rātou te mētara Kōura.

Ko Kaiwhakawā Williams tētahi o ngā Tumuaki-Takirua o mua o Te Hunga Roia Māori o Aotearoa (2006-2008), i kauhau ia i ngā hui mō te Auckland District Law Society, Auckland College of Law, NZ Bar Association me ngā World Indigenous Law Conferences e rua. I ngā tau kua pahure ko ia anō he Kaikōmihana o Te Taha Māori o Te Haahi Weteriana o Aotearoa.

Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rēhia, Ngāti Kuri

Ko Kaiwahakawa Alana Miriana Thomas tētahi kaiwhakawā o Te Kooti Whenua Māori, he mema anō hoki o Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi. I kopoua ia kia noho hei Kaiwhakawā i te tau 2023. I puta te ihu o Kaiwhakawā Thomas i te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau, i a Waipapa Taumata Rau i te tau 2008. Nōna i reira, ko ia tētahi o ngā kaihautū o te waka o Te Rākau Ture, he kaihoe anō hoki o te waka o Ngā Tauira Māori.

I a ia e tū ana hei rōia, he rite tonu tā Kaiwhakawā Thomas whakakanohi i ngā iwi me ngā hapū puta noa i te motu mō ngā kaupapa e whai take nei ki ngā mōtika o te iwi Māori, pērā i ngā take Tiriti, i ngā take taiao, i ngā take whenua, i ngā take moana, tae rā anō hoki ki ngā take mō ngā tikanga me te reo Māori.

He wahine ngākaunui a Kaiwhakawā Thomas ki te reo Māori me tana manawa piharau, tana manawa kai roke kia ora mai te reo Māori i te ao ture.

Ka noho a Kaiwhakawā Thomas ki nga Kooti i nga rohe o Aotea me Waikato Maniapoto.