Profile
Paul is a former National Chair of Buddle Findlay.
Paul specialises in public law, Māori/Treaty of Waitangi law, Treaty settlements, conservation law and resource management law.
He has extensive experience collaborating and negotiating with Māori and advising on Māori and Treaty of Waitangi related issues. He has been a member of the core Crown design, negotiation and drafting teams on significant Treaty of Waitangi settlements, including from 2010 to 2024 on the 'legal personality' models in Tūhoe (Te Urewera); Whanganui River (Te Awa Tupua); and Taranaki Maunga (Te Kahui Tupua); and on numerous co-governance models such as over the Tūpuna Maunga in Auckland, the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, Lake Taupō and over rivers, lakes, harbours, maunga and other natural features.
Prior to joining Buddle Findlay, Paul was a senior lawyer at the Department of Conservation (DOC) and he continues to advise extensively on the Reserves Act, Conservation Act, Wildlife Act, National Parks Act and on concessions and DOC related processes.
He regularly appears as counsel in the senior courts with a focus on judicial review under conservation, Resource Management Act (RMA) and Treaty related legislation, including judicial reviews and appeals on Treaty settlements, Māori interests under the RMA and on the Wildlife Act and Reserves Act.
Paul's particular specialty is designing, negotiating and drafting co-governance, co-management and partnership frameworks between the Crown, local government and Māori (including joint management agreements and mana whakahono a rohe). He has advised on most of the Treaty settlement co-governance and co-management arrangements that have been designed and agreed with iwi, and he advises on a wide range of partnership and relationship agreements between various Crown, local government and private entities and Māori, including in the context of infrastructure projects and the RMA. Paul advises on the implications of Treaty settlement frameworks in law reform, policy and regulatory processes, and he acts for a number of co-governance authorities including the Tūpuna Maunga Authority in Auckland, Waikato River Authority, Te Urewera Board and in relation to Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River).
Paul also appears for the Crown in the Māori Land Court and advises numerous local authorities on the implications of High Court and direct engagement processes under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act.
He has practised resource management law since 1994 and continues to advise on a range of RMA consenting and planning issues and appeals.
Paul Beverley is an "exceptional, pragmatic lawyer with a comprehensive knowledge of the Resource Management Act." He is singled out by sources for his impressive expertise in Māori law as well as consenting processes and conservation law.
Chambers and Partners
"Paul is nationally acknowledged as a market leader for Resource Management Act consenting advice, and conservation law regarding Māori and Treaty settlement. He is lauded as 'a highly trusted and respected adviser given his wealth of experience,' by a source who adds: 'He is the go-to person for Treaty of Waitangi matters'."
Chambers and Partners
"Paul is an 'exceptional operator' and is a 'quality resource management and conservation practitioner'."
Legal 500
- Ranked by Chambers Asia Pacific as one of four 'Band 1' lawyers for Environment and Resource Management in New Zealand
- Listed in Legal 500 as one of four 'Hall of Fame' lawyers for Projects and Resource Management in New Zealand
Experience
Sector / Expertise
Work highlights
Specialist in designing and negotiating co-governance, co-management and partnership arrangements with Māori
including through Treaty settlements and other negotiations including for iwi, Crown entities, local authorities and infrastructure developers
Member of the core Crown design, negotiation and drafting team on numerous Treaty of Waitangi settlements
including in relation to the Tūhoe/Te Urewera (the former Te Urewera national park), Whanganui River (Te Awa Tupua), and Taranaki Maunga, involving the novel 'legal personality' approach to natural resources, and in relation to the Tūpuna Maunga Authority in Auckland; the Waikato River; and settlements in Northland, Auckland, Hauraki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, the central and lower North Island and the top of the South Island
Appearing in the Supreme Court
for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in the Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki case in relation to section 4 of the Conservation Act and the Reserves Act and the role of Treaty of Waitangi principles under conservation legislation
Appearing in the Supreme Court
for the Board of Inquiry in the NZ King Salmon case under the RMA
Appearing in the High Court and Court of Appeal
for the Tūpuna Maunga Authority in the judicial review of the decision under the Tāmaki Collective Redress Act and the Reserves Act to removes exotic trees from Ōwairaka / Mt Albert in Auckland
Advising on a wide range of conservation law processes
including advising widely and appearing in Court processes on the Reserves Act, Conservation Act, National Parks Act and Wildlife Act, and running numerous DOC concession processes