Land decisions will weigh heavily

Miharo Armstrong says he is passionate about helping Maori. Photo / Ben Fraser

As with all judges, Miharo Armstrong says making the right decision will be the biggest challenge on the bench.

But as a judge of the Maori Land Court, Judge Armstrong said he not only had to apply the law but to look after Maori land which was a taonga to the people as it was handed down through the generations.

The far-reaching implications of his decisions from the bench were one of the most challenging parts of the role, as the Rotorua man moves from appearing before judges in the Maori Land Court to being the judge.

The former Rotokawa Primary and Rotorua Lakes High School student was last week sworn in as a temporary judge of the Maori Land Court in a special sitting of the court at Te Papaiouru Marae in Rotorua. He has been appointed for a one-year term.

At 35-years-old, Judge Armstrong conceded he may be young compared with other judges but said his experience was vast including practising locally and internationally.

"I think for me it was always an aspiration to one day go to the bench ... but I probably wasn't expecting it to happen so soon."

Before his appointment, Judge Armstrong was a partner in Aurere Law in Rotorua. He has had extensive experience with the Maori Land Court, Maori Appellate Court and Waitangi Tribunal, as well as in the District Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. He decided to study law as a way of combining his skill in English with his passion to work with, and help, Maori.

While he had enjoyed working as a partner in a law firm and was sad to be leaving, he said he was "really excited" about the new challenge.

"It's a bit sad because I've built up some really good connections with people in the firm and my clients."

Judge Armstrong said across all the different branches of the law, the Maori Land Court appealed the most.

"I've been fortunate to have a lot of experience before the Maori Land Court and act for a lot of land trusts. While I'm fairly young, I've got quite a lot of experience in the area."

Judge Armstrong will sit in Te Taitokerau, based in Whangarei but covering courts throughout the northern district.

"The law has always interested me and I've always been passionate about working for Maori people.

"The biggest challenge is really going to be making sure the decisions I make are the right ones."