Introducing Tuhi Ruawai

Introducing Tuhi Ruawai…

Our Brand Ambassador Tuhi Ruawai, has worked tirelessly on developing a workable vision for our accredited Maori McKenzie Friends that includes an understanding of Maori protocol and what is meaningful and important to Maori families when going through the process of Family Court, Disputes and Tenancy Tribunals in New Zealand.

We view the Maori family perspective as an integral part of New Zealand now and in the future and will continue to go to great lengths to protect this respected and valued cultural input for generations to come.  It is every New Zealanders responsibility to reverse what is arguably our history of marginalising the importance of Maori culture to us all. 

Founder Vinay Deobhakta…

Together with Financial Officer Kerry Brady, Vinay and Kerry have enjoyed working with Maori for over 35 years in their respective practices.  Aware of the growing need for New Zealand to produce better outcomes for Maori families and armed with a personal knowledge of some of the challenges Maori families face today, Maori McKenzie Friends was born.

As we walk beside/support Maori families (in ways helpful to them) wishing to represent themselves in the New Zealand Family Court, Disputes and Tenancy Tribunals, the collective aim is to acknowledge the recommendations of independent reports previously conducted in New Zealand.

This is particularly evident in the Family Court, as was recently highlighted in the “Te Taniwha I Te Ao Ture-a-Whanau report” published in July 2020.

Some of the expressions reported were, …Aotearoa New Zealand is “broken”, that “whanau are being torn apart” and “the system must change”.

We are motivated to being the change we want to see in the Family Court in New Zealand.