The Hon. Christopher Finlayson QC’s insights as the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
“Many of the disputes arise because of personality differences and poor interpersonal relationships. I often quote former Northern Ireland Secretary Willy Whitelaw who would lament about meeting Catholics and Protestants in Belfast. He concluded some of them couldn’t even agree on what day it was.”
With humorous and insightful commentary from his experience as the former Attorney General of New Zealand and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, The Hon Christopher Finlayson QC concludes that “In many disputes… protracted litigation is not the answer for all the obvious reasons.”
We had the pleasure of hearing from Mr Finlayson at the ADC’s Symposium: Innovate, Mediate and Thrive! on the 10th August 2018, where he outlined the unique history of NZ’s Crown-Maori negotiations, and the advantageous role of ADR in that context.
For further insight into the NZ ADR experience, you can download The Hon. Christopher Finlayson QC’s speech here.