Woodward Law began as a small inner-city Wellington law firm based in Druids’ Chamber on Woodward Street.

Our initial clients were mostly Māori land trusts and incorporations of Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa. This led to acting for the National Māori Congress and this in turn led us acting for Sir Graham Latimer and the New Zealand Māori Council for over 30 years. Woodward Law has grown to become one of the country’s foremost providers of legal services in Māori law and Treaty law.

Woodward Law has brought its commitment to thorough research and historic justice to several of the Waitangi Tribunal’s district inquiries, from Te Paparahi o te Raki (Northland) and the Central North Island to the current Porirua ki Manawatū inquiry. We represent individuals and claimant groups in civil court forums including the Environment Court and Superior Courts in matters from waterways pollution to complex trust and property disputes. In these matters, we work closely with a small team of highly experienced barristers. We have advocated successfully for Māori proprietary rights to natural resources in the Waitangi Tribunal, Privy Council and Supreme Court.

We act for claimants in Waitangi Tribunal contemporary Kaupapa Inquiries in a wide range of social justice, economic and policy issues, from the Māori electoral option, and fisheries to equity in New Zealand’s health and housing systems.