Anyone who has served on a jury will know that they are told they must recuse themselves if they know anyone involved in the case — yet some judges don’t adhere to that principle.
We’ve posted previously on this clear case of injustice.
Lake Horowhenua activist Philip Taueki has won an appeal arguing a Māori Land Court judge had a conflict of interest
Judge Michael Doogan should have declared a conflict of interest in appointing trustees to the Lake Horowhenua Trust in 2016, the Māori Appellate Court ruled on Wednesday.
Activist Philip Taueki, who has long fought authorities over his ancestral rights and care of the polluted lake, filed the appeal and was self-represented at the hearing.
The trust, created by the Māori Land Court to administer Lake Horowhenua for the benefit of the Muaūpoko iwi, has been stripped of appointees by the ruling.