Kaitohutohu ā‐Ture Matua | Senior Solicitor |Te Ao Māori

Flexible Permanent

Full Time Application

Close Date: 28-Aug-2022

· New permanent role

· Supportive and dynamic team

· Flexible working to support your work-life balance

Join our amazing team and use your skills in a way that will make a difference to Aotearoa New Zealand and our environment.

Mō te tūnga | About the role

This is an exciting time to join the Ministry as we embark on comprehensive environmental reform and respond to climate change.

We are looking for an experienced and driven Senior Solicitor with Te Ao Māori, tikanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi experience who wants to join our team to support this exciting work programme and our other areas of work.

A particular focus of this role is on supporting the reform programme by providing advice to others on Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations, Treaty settlements and governance considerations under resource management law (including considering a reformed resource management system).

You will provide key analysis and advice on the potential impacts of policy proposals (including responding to climate change), engagement with Māori and the role Māori will have in a reformed resource management system. You will be confident in delivering advice in a range of formats to a range of clients, including internal leaders, external groups the Ministry engages with and Ministers. You will support the growth and development of legal team members and other Ministry staff.

This is a significant, once in a career, opportunity to use your legal skills in a way that will make a difference to all New Zealanders and our environment.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

Our ideal candidate will bring:

· a law degree

· a current NZLS practising certificate (or current eligibility to obtain one)

· knowledge and experience of Te Ao Māori and tikanga

· knowledge of Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and settlements and experience applying these in practice

· experience in resource management law

· experience in legislative development

· excellent analytical skills and a proven ability to apply legal concepts

· highly developed communication skills, both oral and written

· strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at all levels

· proven ability to effectively manage competing priorities and tight time frames.

Specific litigation experience and/or experience engaging effectively with iwi and hapū would be desirable. Specific knowledge or experience of planning or consenting processes from a local authority perspective or compliance and enforcement would also be desirable but is not a necessity for this role.

Whānuitanga Utu ā-Tau | Salary Range

Salary range for this role is $110,872 to $135,510 pa. Appointment within this range will be based on skills and experience.

Mō mātou - About us

The Ministry's purpose - He taiao tōnui mō ngā reanga katoa - a flourishing environment for every generation.

We offer:

· a flexible by default approach to support your work-life balance

· agile working, allowing you variety and challenges across the organisation as we work as ‘One MfE'

· generous leave entitlements

· training to competently and effectively engage with Māori as our Treaty Partner, this includes te reo me ona tikanga Māori courses

· active social club and employee networks, including a Māori staff network

· opportunities for development and education.

A key priority for the Ministry is Te Ao Māori. This means we work with our Treaty partner to advance Māori priorities for the environment and for environmental success. Reflecting the Crown-Māori relationship under Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our environmental policy is our daily kaupapa. We will be confident and coordinated in our ongoing engagement with Māori and lead the natural resources system in engaging for success with tangata whenua. We will grow our capability and capacity to accurately reflect Māori views in our work.

An organisational priority is that we accurately reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Ao Māori into our everyday work, by living our Te Ao Hurihuri Strategy through capability and capacity building.

Tono ināianei | Apply Now

Apply directly here and submit your CV and cover letter. Note: your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process, so please highlight how your experience relates to the key skills required for this role and your interest in our work.

If you require further information about this position please contact Catherine Prior at [email protected].

The location for this role is flexible which means you can work anywhere in New Zealand and there is an option to work from home. As a flexible friendly employer, we are happy to discuss solutions that may work for you and the business. We value and care about enabling our people to work in a way that means they can work at their best.

We embrace diversity and inclusion and are committed to equal opportunities. What's important to us is ‘he rau kotahi tangata' – embracing our multiple talents – by harnessing our diversity and being inclusive. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds.

We want to ensure accessibility needs are well supported, so the recruitment process is fair and equitable for all. Therefore, please let us know if there is any support, we can provide to ensure the recruitment process is fully accessible to you. You can contact us at [email protected] if you would like to discuss any accessibility needs you may have.

We are open to appointing on a fixed term or secondment basis.

From 18, May 2022 we have suspended our Covid-19 Vaccination Policy until further notice. A My Vaccine Pass is no longer required by employees, visitors, suppliers and contractors. However, the policy may be reinstated if new public health advice comes to hand or a new variant emerges.

Rā Katinga | Applications close: Sunday 28 August 2022