Maori Land Court Judge Sarah Reeves.
The next wave of keen young Maori lawyers will need to specialise in environmental and commercial law, as opposed to developing Treaty expertise, Judge Sarah Reeves says.
She gave some advice to the next generation in her talk at the Federation of Maori Authorities (FOMA) annual meeting on Sunday.
Judge Reeves has been a Maori Land Court judge in the South Island for the last four years, and is the daughter of former Archbishop and Governor-General, the late Sir Paul Reeves. Young Maori people training in law often ask her for advice.
"I say to them the end is in sight for the time of resolving our Treaty issues. For the next phase of development, commercial lawyers and particularly environmental lawyers are what we need.
"Maori engagement with environmental issues is going to be huge over the next 10 to 20 years."
She was sitting at the conference table with two 2014 Huihuinga Wahine Emerging Leaders, Mauriora Takiari and Te Wainui-a-Rua Poa. They are still at secondary school but intend to train in law, in commercial law for Te Wainui-a-Rua and in commercial and environmental law for Mauriora.
Judge Reeves advised them to keep up with developments in law, focus on the role of law in society and never take anything anyone else said for granted.
"Always test for yourself, and do right by all manner of people, without fear or favour."
They should take advantage of any opportunities to travel, she said.
"I really recommend living and working overseas. It broadens your horizons. Te iwi Maori will still be here when you get back."
And she's hoping Maori will get more involved in local government, because it's the closest branch of government to where they are. She'd like to see district councils having Maori wards, as New Plymouth has done.
When Judge Reeves began practising in the 1980s there weren't many Maori judges. She did meet one though, Judge Mick Brown at Henderson Court, and remembers his innovative restorative justice practices and the speed with which he squashed a cocky young offender.
Given a sentence of six months' jail the offender said "Sweet, I can do that standing on my head".
"And another six months to get you back on your feet again," said the judge, without missing a beat.
She didn't dwell on time with her famous father, except to say the only car accident she had been in happened when he was driving Bishop Desmond Tutu to Rotorua Airport. The women in the other car in the accident had been surprised to see two men wearing long purple robes.
Judge Reeves trained at Auckland and Otago universities. She was admitted to the bar in 1985 when her father was governor-general. He couldn't go to the ceremony because as a representative of the Queen he would have usurped the judge's power. He had to stand on a bench outside and poke his head through a window.
As a young lawyer, Judge Reeves specialised in commercial and property law. She worked in New Zealand, Rarotonga, Singapore and Hong Kong. Her last job as a lawyer was heading the Auckland City Council's legal team during a time when lots of complex development was going on.
Asked to become a Maori Land Court judge, she wasn't sure she was good enough, but decided to accept.
She's now been there four years and said she was presiding over urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiries.
"Being able to serve by assisting Maori to achieve their aspirations for their land is an honour and a privilege. I hope to continue for some time to come."