Mooting Competitions 2024
UC Law Clubs
Te Pūtāiki, the Māori Law Students’ Society, are proud to share their highlights from 2024:
We held our annual kaupapa Māori Moot in the Ōtautahi Māori Land Court, with the esteemed Judge Milroy and Judge Hix presiding. Congratulations to Isabella Smith, our outstanding winner, who demonstrated exceptional skill in Māori legal advocacy.
This year’s kaupapa Māori negotiations competition was judged by the respected Jamie-Lee Tuuta and Alex Greaves. We are delighted to announce Rireana Kirkwood was the winner, showcasing such remarkable skill.
Fourteen of our tauira attended Hui-ā-Tau in Whakatāne, which was an amazing experience. This provided invaluable insights into future opportunities for our tauira and great whakawhanaungatanga.
This year we farewell seven graduates, recognising their amazing contributions during their time with Te Pūtāiki. We are excited to see the positive impact they will make in the legal profession. We are proud of our tauira achievements and look forward to another successful year in 2025!

Harry Waddington, Jack O’Donoghue, Josh Foster-Pearcy, and Benjamin Evans represented Grapevine Ltd and Moore Capital Pty Ltd respectively in front of a bench of four (Associate Judge Dale Lester; President of the Canterbury -Westland branch of the Law Society, Lana Paul; Bell Gull Senior Associate Stephen Travella; and Petra.
Harry Waddington was unanimously held to be the best mooter with Josh Foster-Pearcy being the runner-up. Ben Evans got the prize for the best first-time mooter.
The Colin Fife Memorial Prize and Scholarship Winners were Harry Waddington and Josh Foster-Pearcy.

Janna McGuigan, Harry Waddington, Josh Foster-Pearcy, and Justin Wall. Janna encouraged in her speech in particular female students to give mooting a go. She recounted her mooting journey which allowed her and Justin travel to Washington to represent Canterbury at Jessup. It also through which she met Colin.

Client interviewing competition: winners Kira Seaman and Penny Low with judges Miles McConway (Anthony Harper) and Eric Yu (IPLS/Walker Street Chambers).
Buddle Findlay - Negotiations
This year, the Buddle Findlay negotiations saw a remarkable increase in signups, which unfortunately resulted in some teams being unable to participate due to a shortage of judges.
After three intense days of negotiations, the finalists truly showcased their skills, filling the room with eager spectators ready to witness the competition between these two dynamic teams. Friends and family were amazed to see how assertive all four participants were.
Judges Olly and Kelly, both partners at Buddle Findlay, expressed their admiration for the calibre of the Canterbury finalists. They highlighted the importance of compromise and drew parallels between the competition and real-life scenarios. Their insights proved invaluable to the students who attended to observe!
We extend our gratitude to Buddle Findlay for once again sponsoring such a valuable competition for the students at Canterbury University.

Left to Right → Bethany Dawson, Tegan Porteous, Anna Boswell and Antonios Eskander

Left to Right Judges → Buddle Findlay Lawyers, Olly Peers & Kelly Paterson
Winners → Anna Boswell and Antonios Eskander

Left to right → Bethany Dawson, Tegan Porteous, Olly Peers, Kelly Paterson, Anna Boswell and Antonios Eskander