Finance, Audit and Risk Committee member
Ministerial representative appointment
Term expires: 31 July 2027
Natalie is barrister at Thorndon Chambers. She specialises in public and administrative law, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori legal issues, human rights, whenua/land, multi-party negotiations in Treaty of Waitangi settlements, trust and governance matters. Natalie has particular expertise in the intersection between tikanga and the common law and has lead arguments on this in all senior Courts. Natalie is also currently a pouako at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi where (alongside Tai Ahu) she teaches and co-ordinates the Postgraduate Diploma in Tikanga and the Law. The first cohort is comprised of Judges from across almost all of the Courts of New Zealand.
Natalie was previously a partner at Kāhui Legal, a leading specialist boutique firm for Māori legal issues. She holds first class honours degrees in Law and Arts (Māori Studies) from the University of Otago and an LLM from Harvard University. She was a Fulbright scholar and was also the recipient of the NZ Law Foundation Ethel Benjamin Scholarship and the Ngārimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Masters Award. Natalie was also a Law Lecturer at the University of Auckland. She currently sits in various representative roles including on the NZ Council of Legal Education, the NZ Council of Law Reporting and is the current Co-President of Te Hunga Roia Māori, the Māori Law Society.
Ms Coates was appointed to Te Mana Whakahaere o Awanuiārangi in 2019.
Qualifications: LLM (Harvard), LLB(Hons)/BA(Hons) (Otago)
Iwi: Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Tūhourangi, Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui