Amokura Kawharu practised commercial law in Auckland and Sydney between 1997 and 2004 and then worked in academia from 2005 to 2020 specialising in commercial and investment arbitration, property law and international economic regulation. Amokura is co-author of Williams & Kawharu on Arbitration and has published widely in the arbitration law field. She is a Barrister of the High Court of New Zealand, a Fellow of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Amokura has a BA/LLB(Hons) from Auckland University and an LLM from the University of Cambridge. Her iwi are Ngāti Whātua and Ngāpuhi.
Amokura is often invited to give speeches and presentations on general law reform topics and to speak about the work of the Commission. A selection of speeches and presentations are linked below:
- Kia Whanake Ngā Ture o Aotearoa mā te Arotake Motuhake, Keynote to the Legal Research Foundation, Auckland, 6 August 2020
- Te Tiriti into the Future, Oromāhoe, 4 February 2021
- Te Aka Matua o te Ture: the Parent Vine of the Law, Hui-ā-tau o te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa, Christchurch, 2 July 2021
- Weavers of people: rangatira and… arbitrators? AMINZ Annual Conference, Rotorua, 7 August 2021
- The changing roles of Law Commissioners, NZCPL Public Officeholder Series, online, 6 October 2021
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Law Reform: Speech to Chapman Tripp National Litigation Group, 2 September 2022