Paul Beverley

Paul was the National Chair of Buddle Findlay from 2017 to March 2020.

Paul specialises in Māori Law, Treaty settlement negotiations, co-governance and partnership arrangements with Māori, and resource management and conservation law.

Paul 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 in relation to the 'legal personality' models in Tuhoe (Te Urewera); Whanganui River (Te Awa Tupua); and currently Taranaki Maunga and numerous co-governance models such as over the Tūpuna Maunga in Auckland and Waikato River.

Paul's particular specialty is designing, negotiating and drafting co-governance, co-management and relationship frameworks between the Crown, local government and Māori.  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 law reform and policy processes and he acts for a number of co-governance authorities including the Tūpuna Maunga Authority in Auckland, Waikato River Authority and Te Urewera Board.

Paul also appears in the Māori Land Court, advises widely on the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act and on approaches to working with Māori under conservation legislation including the National Parks Act and Reserves Act.

Paul has practised resource management law since 1994 and advises on a range of RMA consenting and planning issues.  He regularly appears in a range of Courts and tribunals on Māori law and resource management and co-governance matters.

Prior to joining Buddle Findlay, Paul was a senior lawyer at the Department of Conservation (DOC) and he still works extensively on the Reserves Act, concession and DOC related processes.