Presenters

Bryce Lyall, Barrister, Kōkiri Chambers 
Bryce lives in Titirangi, Auckland with his wife and young whānau. He is a barrister with a nationwide practice spanning public, environmental, and human rights law, trust and governance, and Māori legal issues. He appears in all of the senior courts, the Māori Land Court, and the Waitangi Tribunal. He also undertakes mahi in the District and Family Courts. His practice includes litigation, mediation, refugee and protected person matters, and work involving Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including judicial review, Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 proceedings, and related processes. Holding a particular concern with access to justice issues, Bryce has approvals to provide legal aid services in civil matters, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, the Māori Land Court and Māori Appellate Court, Refugee and Immigration matters, and the Waitangi Tribunal. He will also undertake work in the Māori Land Court on special aid. He is a member of the Auckland Branch Council of the New Zealand Law Society, the New Zealand Law Society’s Public and Administrative Law Committee, and the Māori Land Court and Waitangi Tribunal Legal Aid Provider Selection Committee. He also serves on the Committee of Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc. Bryce holds a BA in Political Science and an LLB from the University of Canterbury, and an LLM (International Law, First Class Hons) from the University of Auckland.


Bernadette Roka Arapere, Barrister, Kōkiri Chambers
Bernadette is Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Maniapoto. She is a barrister specialising in Public and Administrative Law, Civil litigation, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori legal issues, whenua and governance matters. She has been senior counsel in the courts at all levels including the Supreme Court in judicial review proceedings, appeals, and other general litigation including Waitangi Tribunal proceedings. She is a Commissioner of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, a Deputy Chair of the Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal, a Trustee of Raukawa ki te Tonga Trust and a member of the Legislation Design and Advisory Committee and Māori Land Court Rules Committee. Prior to joining the independent bar, Bernadette was Crown Counsel in Public Law at Crown Law and in private practice. She speaks Te Reo Māori and has authentic knowledge of tikanga Māori working at her marae - amorangi ki mua, hāpai ō ki muri.