Borrin Foundation Justice Fellowship for Natalie Coates

Natalie’s research

This project goes towards addressing the need for the legal profession in Aotearoa New Zealand to engage with tikanga Māori in an informed and principled way. Since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Ellis v R (2022), tikanga has been increasingly referenced in legal contexts, yet some practitioners lack knowledge around how navigate it. This gap creates risks of tokenism and misapplication.

Through a Borrin Foundation Justice Fellowship, Natalie proposes convening wānanga with leading tikanga experts to explore tikanga’s application in areas such as contract, torts, and legal ethics. The outcomes will include a filmed educational resource offering insight into the experience of tikanga reasoning in action, and a published article distilling key insights. These resources will support law schools as they embed tikanga into their curricula and provide legal professionals with tools to engage respectfully and competently. This project aims to enhance legal competency, contribute to Māori legal scholarship, and strengthen the integrity of the legal system. Ultimately, it seeks to ensure tikanga is engaged with authentically, as a living body of law central to Aotearoa’s legal identity.

About Natalie

Natalie is a barrister at Thorndon Chambers, specialising in public and administrative law, with a particular focus on the intersection between tikanga and the common law, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. She regularly appears before the senior courts on these matters. Alongside her practice, Natalie is a Pouako at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, where she teaches and co-ordinates the Postgraduate Diploma in Tikanga and the Law. She also serves on Te Mana Whakahaere, the governing council of Awanuiārangi. Previously, Natalie was a partner at Kāhui Legal and she has also worked as a Law Lecturer at the University of Auckland.

Natalie holds first-class honours degrees in Law and Arts (Māori Studies) from the University of Otago, and an LLM from Harvard University, where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar. Natalie also received the NZ Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin Scholarship and the Ngārimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Masters Award. Natalie contributes to the wider legal profession through various representative roles, including membership on the New Zealand Council of Legal Education, the New Zealand Council of Law Reporting, and as Co-President of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa (the Māori Law Society).

Grant Amount

$120,000 for in 2025 – 2026